Archive: Around Town

Dear Margaret: I have always been what you would call a public servant by both occupation and my involvement in the community. I care deeply about my community and important issues affecting it. However, lately I seem to be stressed and can attribute it to my full schedule. The dilemma is, I don’t want to quit doing any of the activities that pull from the reservoirs of my time and energy. It’s such a paradox that what I love to do is also the cause of my anxiety. I don’t know where to begin to find balance. What advice can you give me?
Weary Public Servant
Dear Weary Public Servant: Fortunately, there is time for you to make a choice now, while your physical health is still good. In time, your level of anxiety can be the cause of the deterioration of your physical health as your reserves become depleted. Then choice will be taken from you. Your stress is a wakeup call telling you it’s time to take care of yourself. Can you engage in the same activities, but fewer hours? Can you find a competent individual to substitute for you on occasion? Are you taking vacations away from home? Can you spend ten minutes a day in meditation? Are you engaging in physical exercise? Begin by structuring a schedule for one week to incorporate your have-to-do’s, then fill in time for healthful self-care, and finally your want-to-do’s. This is about pay now or pay later. Choice always meets consequence.

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