Have you ever written yourself a letter? It’s a good way to resolve things that might be bothering you. So today, I’m going to write a short letter to myself. After reading my letter, you’ll have an idea of how this is done. You might decide to do the same.
The Letter
Dear Dan,
I know that life as a single parent of a teenage girl can be stressful. When you add that to being a full-time college instructor, practicing karate, writing, blogging, and playing music, your schedule can get crazy. That leads to stress. Now add yard work, housekeeping, financial struggles, and medical concerns into the mix. It’s no wonder your blood pressure is starting to go up.
Here’s what I think you need to do. You need to set some priorities and allow yourself time to destress. I’ve come up with a short list of what is most important at this time in your life:
- Being the best parent you can be to your child.
- Taking proactive measures to ensure your best possible medical health.
- Making a point to exercise regularly and practice relaxation.
- Continuing to eliminate debt.
- Taking care of yourself spiritually.
Beyond these five items, you might be overextending yourself. That means you may need to eliminate or cut back on some other things that are taking your time away from the most important things in life. You might have guessed that I’ve made a list of those things too:
- Spending too much time doing things that don’t really matter.
- Writing and blogging as often as you have been for the past five years.
- Volunteering as a musician at church.
- Working on extra committees and teaching overload at work.
- Worrying about things that you can’t control.
I’m writing this letter because I love you and I care about you. I want what’s best for you and your daughter, Annie. It hurts to see you stressed and worried too often. Please consider letting go of some of the items on the second list so that you can put more positive energy into the items on the first list. I know you’ll become a better parent and feel better about yourself when you do.
Love,
Dan
What’s It All Means for Me?
So you might be wondering what this means for my writing and my blogs? First, don’t worry, I’m not going to quit. However, I am going to cut back on my schedule. I’m currently writing two posts per week here. I’m also keeping up with two posts a week at my other blog Hip Diggs.
Although I’ve hinted to phasing Hip Diggs out this year, I still have articles prescheduled for several months to come and I’m rethinking what I’ll be doing with Hip Diggs. Time will tell. Here’s what I’ll be doing immediately. Instead of posting here every Tuesday and Friday, I’ll be posting on Wednesdays only beginning next week.
What’s It All Means for You?
First, I’d like to thank you for continuing to support my work through following my writing. I’m sure you understand my dilemma of having too much on my plate. What I really want for you to do is simple.
Chances are fair to high that you have some imbalances in your own life and schedule. I encourage you to write a letter to yourself so that you can resolve some of your own inner conflicts. It’s that easy. Would you do that for yourself?
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