This Is How I Create Calm From Chaos

Do you make choices that add chaos and confusion to your life?

I asked myself this question last week.

It had been an unusually busy day for me. The washing machine broke (fixable), the stove broke (not fixable), I didn’t have time for my daily rest, and I had to fit new-stove shopping into our evening schedule of making dinner, doing homework, taking showers, and our bedtime routine.  

You’d think I’d have realized I had enough on my plate without adding more. But I didn’t.

After school, my kids begged to play with their neighbourhood friends.

I tried to fit it in. 

I began to rush, so I could feed the kids a snack, drop them off and pick them up from their play-time, while also trying to get to the appliance store to purchase a new stove.

Things became chaotic.

I quickly became stressed by trying to fit too many things into a short period. I began to lose my patience and couldn’t get myself organized. My boys picked up on my frustration and became just as overwhelmed as I was. We all lost our tempers with each other. Things were a mess.

That’s when I realized something. 

I was creating chaos and confusion for myself and my family because I chose to do more than I was capable of doing. I was losing my peace of mind, calmness, and ability to navigate an unexpectedly busy day.

So I cancelled the play-time.

Everything settled down immediately. I felt much calmer and more capable of tackling the list of chores for the evening ahead. And my boys began to unwind too.  

It was a good reminder.

Life is always going to feel chaotic. We all have parts of our lives that are confusing and stressful – where we come from, our relationships, our work, how we see ourselves – that often fuels confusion and makes us feel off balance.

But when you make choices based on minimizing chaos, you can create a space of calm that’s good for you and those around you.

For me, that means asking myself this question whenever I’m considering adding something new to my plate,

Is this going to bring me calm or create more chaos? 

It works for me. I hope it works for you too.

How do you create calm and minimize chaos? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

You’re wonderful.

Mary Lou