Don't Should On Yourself!

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This week my little terror of a cat decided to completely destroy one of the living room curtains.  Granted, she looked absolutely adorable enjoying her handiwork and the chaos.  But, replacing curtains wasn't really on my already long to-do list for this week.  I don't even have the energy to switch it with another curtain to hide the open gash behind the sofa.  Yep, energy levels are low.  This is completely expected for this time of the semester, though.  But, it got me thinking - how much of our to-do list actually needs to get done?

This week, take a look at your list.  Divide it up into 3 categories - Must do, Should do, and Would like to do.  The must do's are things that you absolutely can't avoid.  The should's are things that you're expected to do and feel like you need to do, but it's not a life or death situation if they don't get done.  And, the would like to do's are things that you regularly let slip but would really like to have time for.  Now, swap out some of the should's for the would like to's.  This may mean that laundry waits another day, you cancel or miss a meeting that you had scheduled, or you skip out on doing a homework assignment.  Play the numbers, though.  How much does missing one of these things truly impact your overall health?  How much more stress does it cause to carry through and get all of your should's done?  When the cost for our mental health and peace of mind get too high, it's time for something to go.  And, it's even more important to make time for the things in life that bring us joy.  As a wise man once told me - "Don't should on yourself!"

-Dr. M


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