The past few months have been utterly overwhelming for many reasons. My head is packed full of emotions, things I need to do, what I need to pay for, how I'm going to earn money, organising the kids for school, keeping on top of the house work and endless clutter that never seems to shrink no matter how much I get rid of. Having managed to clear my head slightly in some ways this past week or so, I'm beginning to see the wood from the trees and starting to think of ways I can get organised as a mother, running my business from home and getting the house to a point that it doesn't feel stressful just by being here.
Life is overwhelming. With everything that comes with the day to day merely existing, there's a lot to think about. Just keeping a roof over your head is one thing, but keeping the house in order along with everything else can feel too much. I work from home so I'm constantly on a mission to get into some kind of routine with that, whilst juggling my mental health which is improving by the day, battling with self image, guilt, a cluttered home and a million things on a to do list that never gets done because where do you even start? I need to start simplifying my life a little, I need less things both mentally and physically and when you feel like there are too may plates spinning and everythings crashing down around you, somethings gotta give.
Home
At the moment, we're living with too much stuff and far too much clutter. Although I struggle with sentimental clutter, I am getting much better at saying goodbye to things and slowly making a little more space. When it comes to the home, we need to reduce the things we have and by reducing choice we will be ultimately reducing stress too. The kids have had too many toys which I've recently down scaled massively and by having less they play a lot more. They have more space to play and can see more clearly what they have now. I've always loved getting them toys and we've reviewed a fair few so they soon build up and get in such a mess that they just see this mass of clutter instead of exciting toys that inspires them to play.
Work
I'm trying to work towards more structure, both day to day and with the future of my site/work too. Having a bit more of a plan in place will allow me to plan my days so I'm using my time wisely and not procrastinating, achieving a lot less than I need to be. I need to adjust my focus on what I'm working towards which is all about the family home (decor/building works etc) as well as my life, motherhood and my artistic ventures. I'll be removing myself from groups and associations that aren't benefiting me and making time for the admin parts that tend to be put off until the last minute. By reducing the things on my to do list and in my focus, I can ease my workload, reduce stress and ultimately achieve more and be more productive.
Motherhood
As for being mum, I'm working on getting more organised, asking for help when I need it and not taking every little thing on my shoulders when I don't have to. By being more organised I will cope better day to day, feel less guilt when I forget things as they're less likely to be forgotten. I get really stressed with little things, so I need to take more time for self care, be a lot kinder to myself and basically get my s*@t together so the days are less overwhelming.
Life
I need to separate myself from social media a lot more. Facebook is the big one for me, I find myself scrolling through endless posts, most irritate me in some way and I have a really unhealthy habit of just staring at it a lot through the day and that time could be used so much more wisely. I'm going to start by turning off my push notifications so I'm not constantly drawn in, but in the new year I am going to remove the app from my phone completely and try and get away from it a bit more slowly.
I've had a lot to deal with with my health and mental health which I have already worked on fixing and it's going pretty well. By reducing my time on Facebook, spending my time more wisely, living in a less cluttered home and getting more organised this will improve ten fold, I have no doubt. By living a simpler life with a less busy mind, I'm hoping this will reflect in my lifestyle and make life calmer and easier to cope with all round. I'm a shopaholic which I need to work on. With less coming in, there will be less clutter so I need to be far more selective and try and replace old with new instead of adding to the clutter we live amongst. If I have less around me to clean, tidy and think about, my mind will be clearer as well as my home.
Lastly, I need to practise self care and do more of what I enjoy. By freeing up space and time in my life, I can get out more with my camera, get creative with my art and treat myself because I will have earned it and need to look after myself a lot more.
Have you been working on simplifying your life?
