Today for Therapeutic Thursday we are going to talk Productivity . . . or better yet, lack thereof. It's okay to not be doing. We need to remember to just be. Doing and being are complete opposite sides of the spectrum and that is perfectly acceptable. Especially for us Aortic Survivors!
In your past life, your pre-Aortic disease self was likely stressed, over-worked and just plain spread too thin. I know I was. And that was NOT good. As a society we are taught to be on the go constantly and to always be striving towards something. Once a goal is accomplished it was time to reach to the next best thing.
This attitude needs to stop! Especially for Survivors and Caregivers who are learning to adapt and learning to live that New Normal.
It’s okay to rest. It’s okay to nap. It’s okay to not keep up with chores. Because your mental, physical and emotional health and well-being are top priority. Which means that likely your expectations need to be drastically altered of what truly can be accomplished in a day, week and month.
I’ve gotten good at prioritizing duties and things that need to be done and I’ve let go of that Type A control freak in me. I create three lists: URGENT/daily, WEEKLY and WHEN I’M MOTIVATED.
The daily duties are to get my kids fed and off to school with their breakfast cooked and lunches packed, do my yoga, shower, cook a meal for supper, get paperwork to the appropriate people, go outside, read, have a hot Epsom soak bath, light housework (dishes, cleaning up the kitchen & sweeping), take a nap if needed, and connect with my kids, husband, family & friends.
I’ve learned that without doing these things daily, my physical AND mental health suffers. The most important part of my routine has been connecting with my kids (& husband depending on his shift) before they are off to school/work. It makes everyone happier for the rest of the day. All the rest on the last 2 lists get done at a snail’s pace and that is perfectly okay. More often than not, some of my weekly duties get moved to next week.
What are your strategies to be unproductive and to be okay with it?
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