I have had a crappy week. My aunt started radiation and chemotherapy to fight her brain tumor, her husband (my uncle) had a heart attack, my cat was diagnosed with cancer, and I tripped on my son’s stroller and am now in a wheel chair (torn tendon and severe skin avulsions). This morning, when my coffee grinder broke, I honestly feared I might have a nervous breakdown.
Unfortunately, we all experience weeks like this every once in awhile. Life is full of ups and downs, and this is a rough patch. One of the benefits of living simply and being organized, however, is that my entire world hasn’t fallen apart. My coffee grinder breaking didn’t cause me to have a nervous breakdown.
For starters, having a home free of clutter means that I’ve been able to maneuver around the house ever since I came home from the hospital. Nothing was on the floor to trip over or move out of the way. I know where everything is, so I’m not wasting energy looking for things I can reach. And, if I need help getting something, I can ask for someone to help me with specific directions.
Second, having all of our medical information — including our cat’s records — well organized has been extremely beneficial. If your health records aren’t in tip-top condition, I highly recommend checking out professional organizer Julie Bestry’s four-part series on this subject:
- Vital Signs: Organizing For A Medical Emergency, Part 1
- Vital Signs: Gathering Information During/After A Medical Emergency–Part 2
- Vital Signs: Maintaining Your Family’s Medical Records–Part 1 (Paper)
- Vital Signs: Maintaining Your Family’s Medical Records–Part 2 (Digital)
Third, I gave myself permission to hold a three-day pity party. I sat in bed, ate ice cream, and got out as much wallowing as possible. I told everyone my plans to complain and feel sorry for myself, and said that I would call it quits later today. By the second day, though, I was already bored of whining and ended the pity party early. Focusing on being miserable for a set time turned out to be a wonderful gift — people were more patient with me since they knew it wouldn’t be an on-going pity party, I didn’t feel guilty about my constant complaining, and I feel a lot more prepared to handle everything going forward. Embrace worries, fears, and grief for a set time period to keep you focused at other times.
Finally, I called a house cleaning service and had them mop floors, clean the bathrooms, and scrub the kitchen. I can’t do everything, and my husband is already carrying a larger burden because of my new physical limitations. I don’t have the energy necessary to work, take care of my family, hobble around on one leg, and clean the toilets. Living simply also means living sanely. Know your limits and don’t try to do everything if it means sacrificing something more important to you.
Being uncluttered and organized is great during regular times, but can be a huge asset during those times when life puts you on a roller coaster. Significant ups and downs are easier to manage when the day-to-day activities aren’t already out of control.
Sorry to hear about the crappy week, I hope everyone is in better health soon. Good job putting in perspective.
This post is right on track! The only emergency organization most people have is for a fire, or a hurricane. Where they may have the crucial stuff – home, car, but they forget about the information for pets, kid’s allergies, etc…
An emergency can wake you up at 3 am in the morning, or happen at an instant. Organization can save your sanity, so you can focus on what’s important.
I am so sorry to hear about your week. I guess the old saying “when it rains, it pours” is true. But after the storm there is always a rainbow! Hope you have a better week!
Oh Erin, I’m sorry about your crappy week. Here’s to brighter days ahead. With everything going on & family needs pulling you in all directions, remember you are only one person and no one can do it all.
Great eye opener for all of us to be organized so we are better prepared for these kinds of things.
Thank you.
Peace…
Erin, so sorry to hear about your week from hell. My thoughts are with your family – I hope everything works out okay. You are so right…having things organized do help in a crisis situation. I have documents that I update every time there’s a doctor’s appointment (yes, even for our pup) so that I have the latest info all at hand should I need it in a hurry. I can’t tell you how many times it has been useful when we’ve arrived in the ER (too many times in the last year to mention).
Wow, Erin, I hope this week has been better for you and everyone concerned! Thanks for sharing Julie Bestry’s series on preparing for emergencies. She has really thought of everything! There’s another digital option for maintaining emergency information. It’s “Emergency Information,” an application designed to keep a family’s emergency information in one place. It includes contacts, medical insurance and basic medical info for each member of the family (including pets) and the location and contents of the emergency supplies. There’s even a grab list in case of fire or natural disaster. “Emergency Information” is customizable and printable, so you can keep a copy on the family bulletin board, just in case. It’s also safeguarded online, so if you’re traveling, the house burns down or your computer gets stolen you can still find out what you need to know. It’s available at my family organizing website: htpp://www.habitudes.info.