Hear from an Anxiety Therapist | Lexington, KY

It was a ridiculous kind of a day. On a recent 100 degree day, I found myself delivering over 50 mums all over town for a school fundraiser, scouring stores for acorn flour for a school project needing to be completed that night, ordering solar panels/materials for a science project, with runs to soccer, trumpet lessons, cross country, a doctor’s appointment, on top of overseeing homework, a house painting project, work, and several other dozen things.  Far too often, this type of day has repeated itself, in the season of life that does not quit.  

So often, our expectations about what we can do in a day are unrealistic, unattainable, and unsustainable. Maybe we are striving to be the perfect parent, the perfect spouse or lover, the perfect employee, or the person who does it all. It may feel like we “have” to do it all, that this is what the world is requiring of us.  We have an expectation about what we “should” do, and the pile of “shoulds” evolve into a formidable mountain. When we feel like we fall short, it doesn’t feel good. 

It is important to know our limits and when our standards are too high and unrealistic. Sometimes we have to settle for “good enough.” When we allow ourselves to stray from unreasonable standards and lengthy to-do lists that never end, we have the opportunity to create moments of authenticity, stay mindful in the present moment, and experience joy.  On a recent day that rivaled the chaos of the one described above, I sat on the couch when I decided I had done enough for the day, instead of pushing myself to complete a dozen other tasks. What followed was that the kids and the dog came to sit beside me, resting their heads on me, reveling in the moment to “just be” and connect. In that moment, they didn’t need me to be the mom that checked everything off the to-do list, but to be the mom that was present in the moment.  I decided that felt “good enough” for me.