Cathy’s husband, Mark, is retired. She loves it because his job was killing him.
Mark could sleep all day. Cathy couldn’t. She was still working. She’d arrive home at 6 p.m. and then he’d want them to run errands! Saturday was filled with more errands.
One Saturday afternoon silently driving around the city running errands, Mark asked Cathy – “What’s wrong?” Cathy is normally a chatty person, so he knew that something was wrong. Through gritted teeth and clutching the steering wheel, Cathy replied – “I’m trying not to get angry. I only have one day off!”
Cathy was often exhausted after a long day working in a stressful job. But, she didn’t tell that to Mark. She’d said “Yes” to running errands when she actually wanted to say “No”.
Establish your boundaries. Let your yea be yea and your nay be nay. In this case, the boundary is for self-care.
- Stress and high-blood pressure are contributing factors to heart disease in women. Take some time to relax and decompress after work. Take a nap, go for a walk, take a bubble bath, listen to soft music, sit quietly in your favorite chair… at least take an uninterrupted 15 minutes for yourself.
- Plan and schedule errands. Some items can be handled by phone, online, or in a letter. Use the method that is easiest for you and develop a routine.
- Share the load. You do not have to do it all. Let someone help you.
Question of the Week: How will you relax and decompress?
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‘Til next time,
Pamela Graham
Young and Graham
“Coaching to Improve Your Life”
