Each day, we’re faced with hundreds of small decisions to make. And often, our priorities collide.
That can feel especially true during the busy holiday season.
Do I start my shopping from the couch, or lace up my boots and go hiking with my family? What about that extra glass of wine I want to have with my friends, even though it’s likely to throw off my sleep schedule?
Should I eat the mashed potatoes I made in the slow cooker and the homemade dressing, plus my aunt’s sweet potatoes, and a slice or two of those pies my sister and my son made? Or should I keep closer to my usual eating pattern, staying away from the simple carbs and sugar, knowing how much better I feel when I do?
Decisions, decisions.
What Can We Do When Priorities Collide?
Any time of the year, our priorities can collide.
We want to spend time with family and friends, building relationships and creating memories. We want to celebrate and connect with others, fulfilling their expectations and ours. Work, errands, housekeeping, and the minutiae of life fill day after day.
Oh, and we’d like to be healthy – mentally, physically, emotionally – so we have to fit in enough sleep and movement, plus eat right and reduce our stress. It can be a lot to manage.
How can we do it all? And where do we fit in time to take good care of ourselves?
Day by day, and sometimes moment by moment, we prioritize, and shift, and re-prioritize.
Often, we need to take a broader view and revisit our vision.
Without a vision, or when we lose our focus on our vision, everything is a priority. And that can lead us to feel frazzled, overwhelmed, and trying to do it all.
In those moments, pause.
Take a breath, and ask yourself, “what truly matters here?”
What do you want, five years from now? How do you want to feel? What do you want your life to be like then? Who and what do you want to be? And, which decisions create more stress than peace?
It may be helpful to journal about these questions. Another way to approach it would be to write down all of your priorities you can think of, and list mini-goals for each one.
Then, you can move ahead in awareness, making relevant decisions to get you where you want to be.
I’m cheering you on.
Hi, I’m Amy, an integrative health coach offering grace and space for a healthier you. I work 1-to-1 and in groups to help people create better habits that stick. If you’d like to stay connected, I invite you to subscribe to my weekly Well Check and other email updates.
