These last few years have been very difficult for all the reasons that everyone else has been experiencing. Grief, frustration and tension make up a good part of my day; again nothing other people haven’t been experiencing. Not even my small business owner pathological optimism fends off these feelings. Since I see more ads and public service announcements about mental health than I ever have I leapt to the conclusion that all sorts of people are a bit overwhelmed right now.
I don’t know if what works for me will work for you, but I wanted to share, just in case it might help.
I craft most of the day. Fortunately, my job requires it: working with food, bakery and chocolate. But, even at the end of my work day I enjoy going home and spending a bit of time every day on some craft: knitting socks and coffee cozies, making paper flowers and sewing projects.
Then, because I spend a good deal of time alone, I listen to podcasts and classic literature. I collect bits of inspiration and tape them to the wall across from my work station. I’m also lucky enough to know some very interesting people and collect bits of wisdom from them. I’m going to use this space, from time to time, to share some the things I have learned.
One of the first things I collected was a sticker on one of the sacks of cocoa beans that came into the factory. The sticker said,”Do Not Double Stack.” This works for the 150 to 180 pound sacks of cocoa beans so they don’t burst open. Not Double Stacking also works for me; don’t take on more that one problem at a time. I might need to deal with more than one problem in a day, but now I make every effort to take on one problem at a time.
Peace and good health, Tracy
