Everywhere you look it’s like a tornado has whirled through your house. There’s toys all over the place, clean washing piling up in the baskets and clumps of hair all throughout the house.
If you’re anything like me it can sometimes feel like the to-do list with cleaning is never ending. It seems like you clean one area and then you look back over and it’s like someone has ransacked your house.
Totally frustrating and can add to overwhelm huh?
Well we’ve been talking about it on and off for a while now in our house. Even when I was a poor student and waitressing my butt off I put money aside to have a cleaner so I could focus on my studies and healing from my messy previous marriage.
Then on the weekend just gone, my husband (who is always thinking about others before himself) says “I’ve looked at the budget and we can totally get a cleaner in once a fortnight.” (Ok, I may have added the word ‘totally’ in there to make it sound more Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’ish but I digress…)
“Are they eco-friendly?” I ask.
“Yep. Already checked out an eco-friendly cleaner as I know how much that means to you.”
Life is too short sometimes to let our anxiety get in the way of enjoying life.
Where in your life could you do with some help? And how can you get that help in a way that feels nourishing and beautiful? (For me an eco-friendly cleaner is about honouring the beautiful God designed earth and making sure I am a good steward of looking after it).
For me a cleaner once a fortnight will take off so much stress for Dave and I. The last thing we wanted to do on the weekend was clean and yet here we were trying to cram it into our much needed leisure time.
Not only that but I won’t be looking around getting all flustered because it will be maintained on a regular basis.
Anxiety sucks enough as it is. If I can eliminate an anxiety trigger then so be it.
I know sometimes as women with anxiety it can be hard to ask for help. Sometimes you just want to do it yourself. Sometimes you just want to do it yourself because you want it done a certain way and perhaps somebody else might not do it up to your standard.
Perhaps you’re embarrassed to ask for help.
Lovely, here are 5 tips for asking for help:
1) Be proactive, not reactive. Don’t wait until you are annoyed or overwhelmed to ask for help.
2) Ask at the right time. Ask for help when the person is fully present.
3) Be mindful of what is going on in other people’s world. Consider that they (your friend, spouse, partner, sister etc) might have their own deadlines at the moment. Doesn’t mean they don’t love you if they say no.
4) Ask in person. So much nicer to ask in person rather than in a text. (Although I know some of you are socially anxious so just ask in a way that suits you really).
5) Say “thank you.” Make sure you let the person know they are appreciated.
Sometimes it is so easy to make even the asking for help as complicated as an Amazing Race contest. We misread the instructions (our friend’s cues), get on the wrong train and try to ask for help in another language, and all fails on deaf ears. Sometimes we may even get U-Turned.
Asking for help does not need to be complicated. Find out what your anxiety triggers are, how can you outsource help and just ASK.
You may not have the finances to outsource for help and I get that. Perhaps you could do a babysitting swap or make your friend a token to show your appreciation.
But it starts with one step. Seek and find out how you can get help.
And for those of you who are into it, prayer and meditation can help ease your anxiety. When everything is weighing you down like a tonne of bricks, prayer can come in and lighten the load by taking it off your shoulders and giving you the best shoulder massage. I am a big believer of miracles. I have seen them happen in my own life. Yes, ask for help and believe that a miracle is on its way to you.
What is one thing you can ask someone for help with? Commit to asking for help this week. Comment below I’d love to hear what you would love help with this week. If you’d love help and don’t know where to start with the clutter in your home, irritating people or simply need someone to just chat to about your anxiety triggers I would love to help. Email me: thebutterflyhouse@dianabraybrooke.com and get on a call and find out how you can ask for help and be on the way to feeling chilled without having to sacrifice your soul. (You can even enjoy a coffee or two as well. No green juice required).
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