This society praises over-achievers. The more that we do, the more that we are celebrated. However, there comes a time that we may have to face some realities. When do we know that we are doing too much?

Our body can give us many signs of being stressed and overwhelmed. We may have problems with our sleep. Our stomach may be upset. Our blood pressure can increase. We may have tense muscles or clench our jaws. Our bodies can let us know in a million different ways that it is dealing with too much!

Our emotions can let us know as well. We may find that we are short-tempered, that we snap at people. Perhaps we are teary or angry, or both. We may start getting resentful.

We may find ourselves over-indulging in alcohol or drugs or food or buying things. We may be using these not so healthy coping skills to deal with trying to come down from all of our stressors.

 As you are reading through this you may be saying, “Great! I recognize this is me. But what do I do now?!”  What you need to do is easy and yet so very hard. Write a list up of what you do. Look at the list of things/activities/responsibilities that you have. Honestly asses each one. What is important that you do? What can you hand off to someone else? What is important to complete now? What is for later? What is not important at all and can be scratched from your list? What things on that list bring you joy? What brings you pain? Say no to those things that are helpful to you. Focus on the ones that bring you joy. Every day, work on culling the list and making it shorter and more manageable. You can do this. As this happens, watch your body begin to relax, watch your mood improve.

Because, it is very important to always enjoy the journey.