This spring, when G Man and I went on a little getaway just the two of us, I fell in love. Not with him, of course. I had already fallen for him in ‘95. I fell in love with an elderly Eastern European woman. Team, this captivating specimen of a human was hopping in and out of natural hot springs like she wasn’t a day over 60! When I found out that her family was celebrating her 91st birthday—I was smitten. She immediately won my heart, but I fell even harder when we overheard an exchange at her party’s breakfast table one morning. While she sat in silence, the three other people in her group were stressing about the day’s activities and how they were going to make it all work. I heard Lydia command, in her Ukrainian accent: “Cancel the problem.”

Cancel the problem. #micdrop

One problem that I’ve had to face in recent weeks is my chronic overwhelm. Now, I was only categorizing it as ‘overwhelm,’ seeing as how that word has a nice gentle ring to it. But the fact is Team, the kids are growing up and becoming very independent. You know what that means? I have to take a good honest look at why I still often feel incredibly overburdened. This feeling is not to be confused with the chaos that we chatted about a few months back. My overwhelm manifests itself as this frenzied feeling… You know, that lurking sense that you’re never quite getting to all the things on the list?

It was brought to my attention that I was spending a lot of time working, but I wasn’t spending a lot of time getting work done. And, while I love to blame my family for all their interruptions, there was an interrupting gold medalist that managed to evade all reproach: me! Oh my Lord, friends, between checking my email and my phone, back and forth, and back and forth all day—how’s a girl supposed to get anything accomplished?

Mags, CANCEL THE PROBLEM!

Team, as soon as I recognized the actual issue, I had to figure out a way to cancel it. So, I wrote out some phone guidelines for myself. Yes, much like the recess rules I needed in 3rd grade when I was 8 and couldn’t use common sense. I’m happy to report though, it took almost NO TIME to see an improvement in my overwhelm. Apparently I was in total denial about the toxic effect all of those interruptions were having on me. Making simple changes was a reminder of how important it is for me, not only to check in with my relationship to my phone, but also to cancel any and all problems that I can in my life. It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be—Thank you, Lydia! 

Next week we’re going to be talking about a way to make getting older much easier! Sound fun? Well, be sure to tune in. Thanks so much for listening, Team. And, please don’t forget to share this post with a friend who might need to cancel a problem or two in their lives. See ya next time!