Show me someone who's feeling no stress these days and it will probably be

someone in dreamland on a general anesthetic. Everyone else in this time of

perpetual overload will be dealing with stress to one degree or another. Too

many things to do and not enough time is how we all seem to live these days.

Just about the time you think you have everything under control for the

moment, you find muddy footprints all over the laundry room, the dog upchucks,

and your mother calls to tell you she needs more yogurt, preferably

blueberry.

You're feeling just a little stressed and you wonder if it's even possible to

ever catch up. Can you stop the world, 'cause you want to get off...just for a

little while?

Well, no, of course we make it all go away that easily, but maybe we can shed

some of our stress and built-up anxiety over it all.

Take a Break

Go ahead and wipe up the dog mess (or the equivalent in your life) because

seeing and smelling it will stress you even more. Walk away from everything else

and take a 20 minute break. Have a quiet cup of tea, read something just for

fun, take a walk, do whatever will bring you pleasure and give you a break.

Sometimes it's hard to let yourself do this because you have so much to do,

and taking a break will just put you that much more behind. Yet that 20-minute

break may be just enough to let you re-charge and come back to the fray

refreshed and ready to attack your next project. You won't accomplish nearly as

much when you're running in circles and feeling overwhelmed. If you feel like

you have to watch the clock while you're taking some desperately needed down

time, take off your watch and set a timer in another room where you won't hear

it ticking.

Stack Your Priorities Like Blocks

Remember the graduated stacking blocks that kiddos play with? Now think about

all the things that are causing you stress and grief. Assign each item to a

block - the most urgent and important gets the largest bottom block. The least

important gets the tiny top box. Everything in between gets it's own box in

order of size and importance.

Now you can see what's been building up on your back. How many of those

blocks will still be important a year from now? If you see some that won't

matter a bit in a week, much less a year, toss them right off the

stack.

Believe me, the dishes can wait. The dust bunnies will still be there when

you can get to them. If the city isn't leaving you love notes, the grass can

probably wait another day to get mown. And your mother can wait for her yogurt

until the day you already planned to shop and visit. For most of our

"boxes," putting them off until we can get to them won't

be life-threatening.

Can those things that can't be put off forever be delegated? What could your

children do? Hint: anyone can wipe up mud...it needn't always be you.

What might you be able to solve with a quick visit to the phone directory and

a checkbook? I'm a great fan of having the "Handy Dandy Tidy Maids" pay a visit

to de-scrunge the bathroom tile and the kitchen every few months. It's a small

price to pay for the time you'll gain and the stress you'll shed.

The same holds for dinner. Haul out the peanut butter, call for a pizza, or

point them toward the milk and cereal. Sometimes simply getting calories into

our family's stomachs is good enough. No one ever died from not having a hot

meal seven days a week.

You should be left with only one or two really important boxes at the bottom

of the stack representing things you should get done as soon as possible. Pick

one and get as much of that one single box taken care of as you can. Focus just

on that one box. Then take another break. You've earned it.

Say "NO"

Unless someone is actively bleeding or having chest pain there isn't much

outside of your job that you personally have to do right now. If you're in the

habit of saying, "Yes" when friends and neighbors surprise you with a request,

instead try, "I'll have to get back to you." This will give you time to gather

your wits so later you can say, "I really can't right now."

Your parent and your family won't be permanently scarred by hearing "No,"

occasionally, either. "I'll have to get back to you" will work just fine for

them, too. While they're waiting for your answer they might just find a

workaround that doesn't involve you. Delay is your friend here.

You're not alone in feeling overwhelmed and anxious from time to time.

Whatever you do, the clock will keep ticking, the list of things you "have" to

do will keep growing, and you'll keep falling further behind. Every now and then

get out your blocks. Eliminate what you can, prioritize the rest, delegate

whenever possible, and make time to push the "Pause" button and de-stress.

The merry-go-round will still be there tomorrow.