I have a busy week coming up. Lots to juggle. It feels a lot to juggle for me. I generally spend Sunday thinking about the coming week and what needs to be managed.
Over the coming week, I’ve got a few extra bits such as going to the Doctors for my monthly blood tests, an engineer coming out to fix the boiler, medication deliveries. Plus some finances that are going to involve phone calls.
This will be on top of my normal juggle of managing teens, ensuring daughter is doing her school work during the lockdown, the food shopping, daily cooking, washing, housework and tutoring jobs.
For a healthy person a few extra jobs in the week is just that. A few extra jobs. For me, I start feeling anxiety that I’ll remember to do the jobs and achieve them, hoping my brain fog doesn’t kick in or that I won’t become too fatigued to manage. Hoping that too many unforeseen emergencies don’t happen to change the priorities.
The jobs no doubt will be completed, they always are. Then I’ll have the lovely feeling of reward from the productivity. I try to not be too hard on myself and remind myself that I am living with a chronic health condition and therefore my productivity measure needs to be adjusted accordingly and accordingly as to what is going on in my life at that time. Sometimes things will be very together other times they won’t be and that is something I understand very well and can accept. This has not always been easy. Not when you have responsibilities and people in your midst who may not have the same understanding of the extra struggles living with a what can be an invisible disability. They can’t see the medication, the side effects or what is going on inside the body.

How I’ve learned to manage this is to go back to traditional times of Sunday being a day of rest. Something our fast paced society doesn’t always allow for. I might watch box sets for the entire day. Allowing the housework to build up but ensuring we all have a lovely wholesome meal cooking in the oven. Other times it might be a trip out in nature. Time to sit and read, pamper myself or at the moment it seems to be pottering around the garden. And when I say pottering, I mean just that, not rushing around.
I generally find if I can have and enjoy this day of rest it brings my anxiety of the coming week into balance. By doing joyful and simple things I’m resting my body and relaxing my mind. Then once Monday arrives I’m normally revitalised for the hamster wheel of the week to begin.

Whatever your week holds in store may you recognise and be grounded to begin.