Not My Circus... (Or how to De-Stress)

I love this! I first read this Polish proverb when reading the book Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing You Messy, Beautiful Life by Glennon Melton. (It's an excellent book, especially if you have young children right now. Or any children right now. Or are married.) Watch the video to hear from her, or go to http://momastery.com/

Anyway... this is not so much training related as just a life in general, mental health post. I'm sitting here, trying to enjoy my last weekday off before work. Let me explain... for some teachers (I'm not saying I feel this way, I'm just saying that some might) the thought of going back to school is like getting ready to serve a life sentence standing at the edge of the highest diving board for the first time. There's a tiny bit of excitement, but it's buried so far deep under the butterflies dancing around like hippos that all a person can think about is the loss of everything good that will surely happen once that step off into the unknown is taken. Some teachers may just not want to surrender their summer freedom for the daily grind of real shoes and no gym clothes (or PJs) all day.

Let me just interrupt myself and tell you about this thing I've been doing this summer. It's called "The 30 Days of Hustle," which is the brainchild of Jon Acuff. Through Twitter (the second great source of news), I discovered this challenge to start something new and "hustle" after it for 30 days. Great stuff! Sort of a middle of the year New Years Resolution. So, all summer I've been hustling (sort of) after writing a novel, but as the sands of summer are slipping away along with my free time, I was pondering what new 30 day thing I will be hustling after. And ta--DUH: My challenge hustle (call it "hustle"-- it sounds so much cooler) for August is to stay stress-free.

Here is my plan to prevent stress...

1. Plan, but don't be married to it. I'm a planner. Planning makes me happy. Call me a nerd, but having a schedule just helps me have some peace. So, I will continue my scheduling madness, but I will also remember to be a little spontaneous, too. And if something happens to make the plan fail, I will see #5.

2. Create quiet time. Notice I said "create." I will start my day, not with social media. But on the couch, with my Bible and journal. I will spend time in quiet prayer and meditation.
3. Train. I will not surrender my training because of busyness. My major goal of qualifying as a Master's competitor in the CrossFit Regionals requires a rather large amount of time spent training. There is no "too busy" or "too tired." Eating quality, clean foods is a large component of training. I will not fall into the stress/emotional eating trap.

4. Sleep. I will also not sacrifice my 8 hours of sleep. Period. My body needs it to repair muscles and my brain needs it to recharge for the next day.

5. Remember. I will make a conscious effort to just let things go. (And NOW we are back to the top of the page.) When plans fail and things go "wrong" (not according to how I would do them), when other people do things that I don't think they should (or don't do things I think they should) I will remember... this is "Not my circus, not my monkeys." I am only responsible for me. I choose how I act, how I speak and how I feel. I will not let the actions of others cause me to be a jerk.

Dear God, please help me.