Because ... All of the things.

Sometimes there are just lots of little things that you have to do, and they are not necessarily hard or bad things, but there are just so many of them. That's what I feel like at the moment, and I'm trying to find various ways of dealing with them.

Method 1: Run away. 

Well not quite, but this morning I just had to stick Skrillex on shuffle and see how far a slow jog could take me - quite far as it turns out, even if I did walk the big hills. I don't recommend this for everyone, but your music and your activity should work. For me, this gives me time and headspace to think about how I might attack all of the things.

I find that this kind of assessment phase is really important, because if I don't take a step back from what's bugging me, it will keep on bugging me without any sort of plan for resolution, but if I take a reasonable amount of time to look at possibilities, I can usually come up with some sort of a plan that will get me organised with all of the things in the best way rather than just the quickest reaction. In most of the things I do, a thoughtful reaction or process is much better.

So, having done the assessment phase, there are a few different alternatives I could choose from:

Method 2: Make a list.

This is what I will be doing once I have finished this blog. The stuff that has to be done straight away will be at the top and the stuff that I need to get onto but that I have a bit of time for will go further down. Being the stationary fiend that I am, it will probably be colour coded and have tick boxes, and I will feel a sense of accomplishment when I do tick things off, which will encourage me to do more. Simple things, but I am that kind of person and it does work for me.

Method 3: Journal and/or blog.

Which of course is what I am doing right now. This is another way of getting my own thoughts straight, by writing, which is a slower process than thinking. (It is especially slow when there is a kitten trying to decide if it would rather bite my hand or climb on the key things that are making such an exciting clicky noise - all typos are his, not mine. Getting a pair of kittens last weekend is great, but definitely contributes to all of the things). Sometimes, putting it out there is good, like this, but sometimes some of the stuff is a bit personal to share with the aether, so whatever works is good. I do both.

Method 4: Talk to people.

Quite a bit of the stuff that is going on for me is also going on for the Husband, funnily enough. Whilst it is making things hard work, it is also making us talk to each other more, which is a good thing. It's not that we don't talk, but a lot of life is all the day-to-day stuff which doesn't really matter that much. Taking the time to talk about the things that do matter is definitely important, so whether it is a significant other, your bff, a colleague you can trust, your mum, or whoever you know who will genuinely listen, do it, because you will often get support and perspective that you can't get or see for yourself. 

There are probably other things you can do as well; please feel free to make suggestions in the comments!

But how does this fit in with fitness and health, which is what this blog is ostensibly about? The other week I wrote about how you need to check in with your physical health before you do stuff. Sometimes all of the things stop you from even doing that. Integrating your health and fitness into all of the things and not letting those things put your health and fitness on hold is pretty damn challenging, but it's important, and that's why.