Intentional Living Series Week Twenty-Six: Exhaustion

{Violets in my garden}

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." ~Thomas Carlyle

Boredom took center stage in Week 25 as I wrote about the effects of boredom on life. This week I will discuss having too many ideas and the resulting exhaustion. 

I developed a pattern during high school and college that took me many years to overcome. At the beginning of each new school year, in my excitement, I would sign up for more than recommended number of classes and volunteer for every group and club that interested me. By Christmas break I was dragging and more than once I spent my holiday in bed recuperating from an energy sapping cold. It took me years to learn to focus on one thing at a time so that my world would not come to a halt because of exhaustion. 

Ours is a society that is made up of people who take pride in being wired 24/7 and multitasking regularly. We are continually on a mission to do it bigger, better and faster...no matter what "it" is. As a result we are exhausted. Our children are exhausted. The dog is exhausted. And the worst part is that we don't enjoy any of what we are trying to accomplish...we are just trying to get it done. 

Exhaustion like boredom diverts us from our Lifetime Priority Plan. Overextending zaps your energy so that you don't have the desire to nurture relationships or implement those ideas most important to you. We are fortunate to have so many choices in our country but it is impossible to do everything at the same time. To live a fuller more balanced life, it is necessary to avoid physical and mental exhaustion by focusing on your top priorities. Failing to manage physical and mental exhaustion may result in less joy and happiness...or worse.

Week 26 Assignment: Last week you spent time looking at your relationships through the lens of boredom. This week take some time to see if your relationships are suffering because you are exhausted. 

Get caught up on the entire Intentional Living series: