Have you ever felt like your life is so cram packed with things that “have to get done”, that you’re running around like a chicken with your head cut off? Are you feeling stressed, anxious and exhausted?

A few days ago I was wearing a dress and heels at work when my heel caught on the top step and I went flying down the stairs. I grabbed the railing with my right hand, but since my body kept falling down the stairs, I pulled my shoulder out of socket. I twisted my ankle, skinned my knee and after going to the chiropractor I found out that I’d popped two ribs out of place. I was in bad shape.

I realized that I was trying to hurry, and in my rush I’d become careless which caused my fall. That night I spoke with a friend. She said that sometimes she pictures her life as a bunch of boxes stacked on top of each other and that when she tries to put just one more box on top of the huge stack, she finds that some of the “boxes” on top start falling off. She pointed out that I must be balancing too many things in my life right now. I guess that I have so much that I’m trying to juggle that it wasn’t an important task that fell off my stack, but my whole tower came tumbling down! I was forced to slow down, prioritize and do some long neglected self-care.

After a few chiropractor visits, massages and some self-reflection, I’m finally back to my regular activities. I’ve scheduled a couple blocks of time into my week for down time. I’m focusing on prioritizing my day and doing what matters most. I’ve been saying no a lot more often. When I’m invited to an activity, I ask myself if it would truly serve me to attend or would it actually be better for me to stay home and spend time with my family. If I slow down and methodically move through my life, I can avoid the inevitable “falling boxes” caused by tearing through life at such a frantic pace.