5 Tips to Keep Your Sanity When Life Hands You a Lemon

The transmission went out in our Maxima on Sunday! Not a highlight for sure as this is the car my teen drives but I was so thankful it happened while I was actually using the car. Literally I took an exit off the highway and all of a sudden my car sounded as if it was in neutral with my foot on the gas. Yikes! Being without an extra vehicle the first month of summer has been tough. At times like these you learn what your made of and how to let yourself grow. I’m not at my best when I don’t have control (I know…shocker!) and this week was a huge test. I’m sharing five tips to keep your sanity when life hands you a lemon!

One | Acceptance

I am not, and cannot be, in control of everything! Sometimes the best thing you can do is accept the things out of your power. So hard for me but consciously accepting this was a game changer for me this week. Going back to the serenity prayer is something I should do way more often!

Two | Delegate

Delegating can relieve so much pressure. Now, typically I delegate a task but then I micromanage it which drives my people crazy! This week I did not have that luxury. It was critical week for me at work and I needed to be present both physically and mentally. Dealing with a car repair was not something I could mentally handle and seriously y’all it is not even in my toolbox to know crap about cars so why would I even think it should be. Wait, did you skip back to where I said I like to be in control?!

Sometimes I take charge of things only because I think my way of doing things is the only way and I also want it done RIGHT NOW! When Keith called to give me the update from the first shop we towed the car to and it wasn’t positive I melted down. Since he works out of town my immediate assumption was moving the car to the dealership, talking to the dealership, etc was on me and I immediately flipped off and went into panic mode. Somehow I consciously realized I just couldn’t and passed it off to him to handle! Guess what, y’all? He totally did and I have not asked one time the status of our car.

Three | Get Organized

Being organized can save the day. Had this happened two weeks ago I’m not sure how we would have gotten through the week but last Saturday I spent hours combing through the activities for June and filled the calendar with dance classes, baseball practice and a girls night out. While all of this is safely tucked in my planner, I also created a weekly view for the fridge so EVERYONE knew where they needed to be and they also knew where to find me. I also planned dinner for the entire week and did all the grocery shopping. HUGE y’all.

Last month I did none of this and we were just flying by the seat of our pants the entire month. Even with the stress of a super busy week I felt relatively at peace with it all and I know it’s because there was a plan. Everyone made it to all the places they needed to and we had breakfast, lunch and dinner all from home the entire week. Win!

Four | Call in the Troops

Call in the troops! Ugh, I do not like asking for help. I’m a first child and have that whole over achiever I can do it all by myself kind of mentality. Asking for help is so hard for me! I can’t tell you how many times I start asking and by the end of the conversation I’ve already convinced myself I don’t really need the help and can find a way to work it out myself.

Not this week friends! I literally spent days with no vehicle and let my kid drop me off at work and be the taxi driver for his sister all day. Asking Keith to rearrange his schedule for work to take on something I normally would be able to do is tough for me but I DID IT! His mom swooped in and helped with Carly and I was able to be mentally free in the training class to keep my focus where it needed to be.

Five | Continue Self Care

Taking care of myself is important! The first thing I want to drop when things get crazy is taking care of myself. Next thing you know I’m eating crappy food, skipping workouts and staying up until 3am. Okay, let’s be realistic, at my age I can only make it to midnight anyway. Ha!

Seriously, though, dropping all these things do more harm than good. This week even though it was crazy and I didn’t make it to the actual gym, I ate well and modified my workout to include long walks while listening to an mentally stimulating podcast. I made time to sit and visit with a friend to refuel my soul. Most importantly I was in bed no later than 10:30 every night. I totally failed at drinking enough water and skipped washing my face more times than I care to admit and my skin is totally paying for it.

I feel like such an adult y’all! Taking a not so pleasant situation and finding some peace with it all is not typically my forte. Do you take the time to look for the positives and/or readjust your thinking when something unexpected comes your way? I’d love to hear your tips!

If you missed this weeks blogposts you can catch up here!