A Morning That Could Have Gone Very Differently
My morning felt like my inbox was overflowing, my phone kept buzzing, and three unfinished tasks competed for my attention. I felt the familiar tightening in my chest. Usually, I would ignore how I was feeling and keep going, trying to catch up with everything at once.
But today, I paused.
I named what was happening instead of fighting it… “I’m feeling overwhelmed,”
I took three slow breaths, letting each exhale last a little longer than the inhale. Then I asked myself, “What’s the smallest useful thing I can do next?”
I silenced my notifications, scribbled my worries on a scrap of paper, and chose one task that I could finish in five minutes.
When my mind whispered, I’ll never get everything done, I thought this instead: I don’t have to finish everything right now. I just need to begin.
The work hadn’t disappeared. My inbox was still full, and there were still things waiting for me. But the urgency I felt inside had quieted.
One small task became another. And by lunchtime, I realized the day no longer felt like a wall of red lights.
It felt like a road I could travel – one
Fanny
