Coming in for a landing: the bumps along the way

It’s often a bit bumpy when you fly in for a landing and go through that layer of clouds. It seems like a good analogy for the experience of re-entry into the atmosphere of your daily life after being away on a trip. It’s bound to be somewhat jarring.

There’s something wonderful about being away in a completely different environment for a time, especially when you are mostly cut off from the usual deluge of electronic bits of information, with its ensuing demands, on your time and energy. Quite liberating!

So I guess it’s no surprise to feel somewhat overwhelmed by the mountain of information, requests and demands that seem to have accumulated in your absence.

What to do?

The natural response is to tighten up, stop breathing, dive in head first, and try to tackle it all at once. Whoa!  Not a good idea. At least, not in my experience.

Having learned from past uncomfortable landings, I gave myself a whole day to do nothing but putter around and nest this time– take a nap, unpack, visit, and just land. That really helped!

And as to the mountain of to do’s? I remind myself that just because they exist, doesn’t mean I actually have to get them all done at once. I can actually choose, prioritize, delegate, postpone or even scratch them off my list entirely. After all, I am in control of my life, right?

Next time you face a bumpy landing, dear reader, take it from me, give yourself a break and remember – you get to choose what you do with your time and energy. It’s your precious life.