Anxious? Make a list.
Mar 27, 2020
How are you? I’m a bit anxious, to be honest. I’m flashing back to a time when I had cancer and regular chemotherapy treatments. The overwhelming sense of the unknown was scary then and it’s scary now. So I’m reaching back to that time and dusting off what helped me.
Interestingly enough, I’m making a lot of lists. There’s something so comforting about a good, solid list. Especially one that helps you plan out your day. Mine include:
The BIG List This is all of the projects and important tasks I can be doing right now. This isn’t my to-do list, but a place to capture work I can do (including personal stuff).
The DAILY List Each morning as I sip one of my (increasingly frequent, probably should switch to decaf) cups of coffee, I make a list of the handful things I’ll actually tackle today. I keep it short and do-able so I have the pure pleasure of crossing everything off. This helps me focus because, let’s face it, life is overwhelming enough right now.
The PEOPLE List This is a list of the people I want to be sure to reach out to. It includes family, friends and clients. It reminds me that I have a huge community that I care about and who feels the same about me. When I went through chemo years ago, my treatments lasted 8 – 10 hours. I remember apologizing to my cousin Robin for taking her away from her life so she could be with me during some of them and she said “When was the last time we got to spend an entire day together?” Nice reframe.
The FEEL GOOD List I’ve got my tried & true resources that make me feel better in an instant. Some of the entries:
- Raise your serotonin levels with a daily helping of cute dogs
- What to read if you need to boost your confidence
- If you could use a really big laugh
What’s helping you? I’d love to hear it. Take good care of yourself and remember, you can do this.
