1.You are not super human, you cannot do it all. You can only do the best according to your circumstances. BUT if you do that, you needn’t have any regrets.
2. Give yourself time and space to cry about what saddens you and laugh about what makes you happy.
3. Hold onto something yourself, onto the things which you do for you, even if it’s only one thing, hang onto it and make time for it.
4. Remember you have no control. The only thing and I mean the only thing you have any control over in life is how you react to what it throws at you.

Frankly, if you’re anything like me you could do with a clone. If I find out how to make one, I promise I’ll give you a call.

Cheers

MTM

I too come from Midwest stock, hence my passionate interest in this subject. As a psychotherapist and former therapy client I’ve learned that not knowing how to just sit with feelings can wreak relationship havoc and stall professional activities like nothing else can.

Because (w)allowing in painful emotions is easier said than done, I came up with a 5-part process to help folks do just that. I call it the T-R-U-T-H Technique:

Tell yourself the situation (e.g., “I had a fight with my partner”);
Realize what you’re feeling. Putting a word to your emotion(s) is soothing in itself and brings a semblance of control to the chaos (e.g., “Resentful,” “Hurt,” “Ashamed,” “Angry”);
Uncover self-criticism (e.g., “I’m too sensitive,” “This is no big deal,” “I should just let this go”);
Try to understand yourself (“I’ve suffered a great many losses in a short time; no wonder I’m feeling fragile”); and
Have the feeling. Don’t just think about what happened there-and-then; feel the emotion in the here-and-now, and let the emotions flow.

BTW, I read “Rise of the Machines” and found it not only helpful but inspiring. It made me actually want to use Facebook and Twitter instead of just tolerating the idea of using them, since you provided a rationale I could get behind. Thank you!