“Anxiety is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you very far.” ~Jodi Picoult
Many years ago, I worked in the technology sector in Austin, Texas, which is a big “tech town”. I was incredibly focused on building my career and earning a higher and higher salary.
I also have two daughters, who were in elementary school at the time. I’m divorced and am the primary care giver for them. Like so many divorced moms, I was doing a lot.
I would run through a mental list of daily to-dos from the time I woke up and continue to do so throughout the day. I didn’t want to forget anything. I was juggling home life, work life, and trying to have a personal life too.
Overwhelmed? You bet I was.
I frequently felt like I was rushing from one thing to the next, all day long. Rush to get the kids and myself out the door in the morning. Rush to work.
At work, I would be focused on getting everything done so I could be out the door in time to get home to make dinner and help with homework. I usually also had some sort of housework to do in the evening.
I rushed to get my daughters to bed on time and hoped I would have enough time for some “me time” so I could actually relax and have some quiet time before bed.
But, I’d already be thinking about the list of things I had to do the next day, and the cycle would start all over again.
What I thought I felt was stress. We all hear the phrase “I’m so stressed out,” particularly when we have a lot going on. That described me perfectly. I was constantly busy, so I was constantly stressed.
Or so I thought.
What I actually was suffering from was high-functioning anxiety.
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stress, anxiety, high-functioning, overthinking, anchoring,
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