What to do in Moments of Overwhelm: How to handle your busy working parent schedule
Yesterday was the first day of my MBA program. I’ve been preparing for this day all summer. I’ve charted out potential day-to-day study schedules. I’ve modified my writing tracker to accommodate for study time.
But nothing could have prepared me for the moment I looked at the syllabus and saw the reading (2 chapters, 2 articles), assignments (a quiz, a paper, and discussion posts) due every week. I have two bachelor’s degrees and a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies. I am familiar with how school works, but the reality of the work needed for me to succeed flooded me with self-doubt.
I am on medication for anxiety and have worked with Cognitive Behavioral Therapist on managing it. I felt my heart racing and my breath quicken. Negative thoughts flew into my head.
- I can’t do this.
- This is too much.
- I won’t be able to continue writing my memoir, my romance books, or my blog.
- I am not able to do all this school work, homeschool, work my full-time and my part-time jobs, and keep up my writing business as A SINGLE MOM!
I let myself flounder in these thoughts for a few moments before I told myself to stop.
I looked at my planner. I remembered the work I’d done in planning out study time. I remembered why I was doing the program in the first place: my daughter.
I’m getting an MBA for my daughter to combine my software engineering skills with marketing to become a technical marketing engineer and eventual CMO, Chief Marketing Officer.
What does my daughter have to do with all of this?
1. More money
My daughter’s heart defect requires lifelong surgeries and procedures. These procedures may exacerbate her renal failure. My goal is to have enough money invested for my daughter in case her health prevents her from working full-time as an adult.
2. Role Model
I want to be an example to my daughter to what is possible if you believe in yourself.
After those few moments of self-doubt, I reinstated my positive thoughts:
I’ve done hard things before. I will do them again.
Yesterday, after telling myself I can absolutely do this. I:
1. Finished 50% of the reading due this week for class
2. Wrote 4 15-minute writing sprints
3. Worked out (125 lbs squat, 65 lbs press, 155 lbs deadlift)
4. Read for 20 minutes (The Emissary by Yoko Tawada)
5. Coached a single mom on goal planning
6. Worked my software job
7. Homeschooled my daughter (vowel sounds, reading comprehension, Psalm recitation, nature drawing)
8. Completed my daily spiritual practice (rosary, mantras, meditation)
9. Walked 10,009 steps
I could have spent more time in my overwhelm, but experience has taught me it is much more productive to break out of that negative loop, tell myself I can do it, and then just do it.
