Too Busy Syndrome - How to Slow Down and Do Less to Preserve Your Sanity!
When I get busy, I'm a bear to live with.
All I can see is the mountains of things that I need to accomplish, instead of the beauty that may be right in front of me.
I don't notice good things; I only notice things that annoy me.
Being Too Busy Makes You Grumpy My kids have realized this long ago.
They know how to tell the days when I am suffering from TBS (Too Busy Syndrome), which makes PMS pale in comparison.
When I am busy, my kids get yelled at a lot more.
If they happen to do something outrageously kidlike, such as, for instance, play, and then they dare to enter another room without picking up their toys, they hear about it.
"Are you trying to make more work for me? I can't live like this!".
And my girls peek at each other over their bowed heads and drag themselves over to clean up.
Do I feel vindicated? No, I feel guilty.
But it doesn't stop the grouch from peering her ugly head again when my husband gets home.
And complaining's not all I do.
When I'm grouchy, I also order everyone else around.
Some days, I think "Hurry up, we've got to go, hurry up!" are the only words out of my mouth.
So this year, I have decided to take TBS by the horns.
I don't want to be too busy.
I'm sure my kids don't want me to be grumpy.
So we're going to relax, darn it, even if it kills us.
Reduce Children's Activities That, of course, is not as easy as it sounds.
If we're going to be Good Parents, you see, common wisdom has it that our children must be in 17 different after school activities.
They need extra stimulation.
Sitting around the house is a sure sign of laziness.
It's time we get serious about this kid business! But what if the best thing we could do for our kids is to give them that time just to sit around? When we're doing nothing in particular, in the process we may decide to play a game, or chat while we're making cookies (I don't make cookies during my TBS days).
These are the ways kids learn to feel safe, valued, and loved, and it builds their foundation for the future.
I don't mean letting them vegetate in front of an XBox for hours on end; I mean encouraging creative play, or reading and playing with them.
All the karate classes, gymnastics lessons, and piano lessons in the world can't equal snuggling time with Mom and Dad.
So we're going to choose one or two things the kids really love, and let the rest go.
Plan for Family Time The wonderful thing about vacations is that we get that uninterrupted time to spend together, talking, laughing, and best of all, escaping the lure of the computer or the television.
But we can recreate that environment in our homes by creating technology free evenings, where we all do something together that does not involve a screen.
When families play video games or watch movies, no real conversations take place.
But when we play board games, or work on a craft, or even work on our own hobbies in the same room, we can talk and enjoy each others' company.
So make sure at least once a week you have this downtime to spend with your families.
If, at the end of the day, you can look back and realize that you did have quality time together, that emptiness that often causes grumpiness will disappear! Last year, at our house, we did too many lessons.
And when the kids weren't at lessons, Keith and I were at church committee meetings.
This year, many of these committees are going to have to survive without us.
We have more important things to do.
Like absolutely nothing.
And maybe, when I conquer TBS, I'll be able to notice all the good things around me once again.
All I can see is the mountains of things that I need to accomplish, instead of the beauty that may be right in front of me.
I don't notice good things; I only notice things that annoy me.
Being Too Busy Makes You Grumpy My kids have realized this long ago.
They know how to tell the days when I am suffering from TBS (Too Busy Syndrome), which makes PMS pale in comparison.
When I am busy, my kids get yelled at a lot more.
If they happen to do something outrageously kidlike, such as, for instance, play, and then they dare to enter another room without picking up their toys, they hear about it.
"Are you trying to make more work for me? I can't live like this!".
And my girls peek at each other over their bowed heads and drag themselves over to clean up.
Do I feel vindicated? No, I feel guilty.
But it doesn't stop the grouch from peering her ugly head again when my husband gets home.
And complaining's not all I do.
When I'm grouchy, I also order everyone else around.
Some days, I think "Hurry up, we've got to go, hurry up!" are the only words out of my mouth.
So this year, I have decided to take TBS by the horns.
I don't want to be too busy.
I'm sure my kids don't want me to be grumpy.
So we're going to relax, darn it, even if it kills us.
Reduce Children's Activities That, of course, is not as easy as it sounds.
If we're going to be Good Parents, you see, common wisdom has it that our children must be in 17 different after school activities.
They need extra stimulation.
Sitting around the house is a sure sign of laziness.
It's time we get serious about this kid business! But what if the best thing we could do for our kids is to give them that time just to sit around? When we're doing nothing in particular, in the process we may decide to play a game, or chat while we're making cookies (I don't make cookies during my TBS days).
These are the ways kids learn to feel safe, valued, and loved, and it builds their foundation for the future.
I don't mean letting them vegetate in front of an XBox for hours on end; I mean encouraging creative play, or reading and playing with them.
All the karate classes, gymnastics lessons, and piano lessons in the world can't equal snuggling time with Mom and Dad.
So we're going to choose one or two things the kids really love, and let the rest go.
Plan for Family Time The wonderful thing about vacations is that we get that uninterrupted time to spend together, talking, laughing, and best of all, escaping the lure of the computer or the television.
But we can recreate that environment in our homes by creating technology free evenings, where we all do something together that does not involve a screen.
When families play video games or watch movies, no real conversations take place.
But when we play board games, or work on a craft, or even work on our own hobbies in the same room, we can talk and enjoy each others' company.
So make sure at least once a week you have this downtime to spend with your families.
If, at the end of the day, you can look back and realize that you did have quality time together, that emptiness that often causes grumpiness will disappear! Last year, at our house, we did too many lessons.
And when the kids weren't at lessons, Keith and I were at church committee meetings.
This year, many of these committees are going to have to survive without us.
We have more important things to do.
Like absolutely nothing.
And maybe, when I conquer TBS, I'll be able to notice all the good things around me once again.