*****NSFW language**** You’ve been warned.
Let’s be fucking real for a second. Life ain’t easy. A “normal” (whatever that is anymore) day is complicated. Throw whatever extra shit into the mix you want, and you have the perfect clusterfuck.
This is exactly how I felt. What sucked even more is being able to pin down why I even felt this way. It was likely a combination of the holidays, being overworked, and emotionally taxing situations (seeing extended family for extended periods of time). Whatever the fuck it was, it got to me.
I couldn’t focus for the life of me. “Oh hey, let me do that.” “Shit, I forgot about that.” “Fuck, I need to write my notes.” “Squirrel.”
I was just all over the place. I forgot the simplest things. Things I do for work each week. Day-to-day chores around the house. Small, menial tasks. My scattered brain just could not get its shit together.
I initially thought sleep might help, but that idea slipped away into the dark abyss after it carried on for three days. Being the omniscient being that she is, I summoned my girlfriend via telephone. I described to her the mental clusterfuck. Together, we decided it to be best that I make a list later that night.
Once I got home from work and settled into bed, I pulled out my phone. I have always been a fan of using the notepad section on my cell to make lists. It is a convenient tool attached to my hip all day long.
At the top, I typed “SHIT TO DO.” I broke down my tasks into several major areas of my life (work, house chores, bills, etc.). The list divided up into seven main categories. Altogether, I came up with 28 different tasks under those seven categories. No fucking wonder I couldn’t concentrate.
The entire list took maybe ten minutes to complete. That ten minutes took so much weight off my shoulders. I felt not only more organized, but more focused. I knew the following day where to start and what my priorities were. In order to cross things off the list though, there has to be a list to cross things of.
-The Caring Counselor