Keeping Your Sense of Humor

It can be difficult to keep it all together when adding even more to your already busy schedule. Here's how to stay sane, hold on to your sense of humor and keep it light while juggling your heavy workload.

Work less, enjoy life.

Great coffee mug quote but not always a realistic outlook... especially when there are bills to be paid or a family to support. While this idea may not translate easily to real life, there is something to learn here - balance. Learning to evenly disperse the weight of all the roles we carry is a learning experience and very different from one person to the next. If you put all your efforts into work, your personal and family life may suffer. Conversely, your performance at work may not be ideal if you were to focus every ounce of energy into your home life. Similar to a head-to-toe nursing assessment, take a step back and look at all of your responsibilities as a whole. What's on your plate? How do you choose to spend your time? What takes priority? Most importantly, are you happy with the way it is currently divided?

Taking these brief moments to look around and assess allows us to adjust our plan for the desired course ahead. Time to yourself can be hard to come by when you are so busy but it is imperative. Physical exercise, meditation, and journaling are all great ways to disconnect and regroup. With frequent practice you may be surprised how these small moments can somehow make the overwhelming weight of your tasks seem a little less heavy.

No one likes a sour puss...

so don't let the load you carry determine your outlook! No matter how many tasks are at hand, maintaining a sense of levity can help you focus on what matters and breeze through what doesn't. Having a bit of lightheartedness and humor in your day can keep your stress levels low and allow more enjoyable moments between you and everyone you interact with. Watch a comedy, listen to a humorous podcast, read a book that makes you giggle, or bust out a funny dance move. A little laughter can make a good day great and a bad day better. We're all here for a pretty short time in the grand scheme of it all. Enjoy yourself. It doesn't mean you're not working hard.

Staying Organized

Are you spending large portions of your day searching for things, scrambling to be on time, and feeling a bit scattered? A little time organizing can go a long way and even mean more free time down the line. Setting yourself up for success means setting aside some time to frame out what needs to get done. It can be as small as making lunches the night before or keeping a planner up to date. Your home doesn't need to look like Martha Stewart's, but keeping some kind of order (whatever works best for you!) can ease unnecessary stress throughout the week and allow you to be more efficient with the little time you do possess. Taking a brief glance at the day or week ahead can assure you are somewhat prepared and have a tentative plan of attack.

In the End

With so many roles, tasks, and events, time always seems to be limited. Making the most of it and staying efficient can sometimes be a task in itself. Keep it light, laugh, and love those around you. Take time to yourself and try to keep some sort of organization. We are at our best when we are happy and our basic needs are met. When we're spread too thin or taking care of others, tackling the to-do list can become more difficult than necessary. There's no right way to do any of it but there is a way to make it a little more fun and less chaotic. At the very least, take a deep breath and crack a smile. Feel a little bit better, right? Acknowledge all you do every day. It may not always be easy, but you're doing it. Now, get out there and enjoy your day!