I don’t know if the impending snowstorm and Polar Vortex that is expected this week, the lack of sunlight or what, but I’ve been stuck in the overwhelm for a while now. 

I know I am not the only one who feels this way. I know most people are experiencing some level of this, I can see it on social media and on the faces of people I see on the street, in the grocery store, at the gas station, in the pick up line. 

Stuck in the Overwhelm

There seem to be too many choices. There’s a million shows to watch on TV, so I don’t watch any because I can’t make a choice. The same goes for making a meal. I think of all the possibilities, get overwhelmed with the idea of cooking and cleaning and the next thing you know I’m eating slices of olive loaf over the sink for dinner. 

I’m busy all the time. Between work and parenting I have just enough time on the weekends to do all the cleaning and maintenance. There’s never enough time to do the things I would like to do like read a book. I have projects I’d love to do, and half ass start some of them, but even the idea of doing something like a craft becomes overwhelming.

What the fuck is going on? 

Is this age related? Do I need to Kon Mari my life? It sort of feels like it. Like just purge all the things in my life that don’t spark joy. The problem is, that’s pretty much everything except my children and the pets. And even they overwhelm me most of the time.

I want to write more, I miss it, and I’ve gotten out of practice. But even just typing this out feels like a chore. What happened? 

I need a Vacation

I know I need a vacation, I know if I could just take some time to relax for a few days I’d feel excited about doing things again. I want to get off this hamster wheel, but I have no idea how to do that.

It’s Sunday as I write this. I love Sundays, well I used to. Now Sundays are filled with chores and the dread of what hell awaits me on Monday. Monday comes and things work out fine – my imagined reality never comes to pass, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying about it all weekend long. 

I don’t have an answer except for time and wine, and I fear those are not the best solutions – more reactive than proactive. 

What do you do to avoid the overwhelm, or if you find yourself in it, how to get out?