Have you ever felt overwhelmed by life? Do you wish there were simple hacks that helped you to balance your life in a way that was manageable again?
I can’t directly fix that pain point right now, but I can provide you with some perspective that might help. As easy as it is to get overwhelmed in our modern world of overstimulation, there are always solutions to life’s irritants just waiting to be discovered.
For instance, I live in the swamp. Mosquitoes abound. About a year ago when we were finally fed up with all the bites, we went to Lowe’s to find the best high-tech solution. Just as we were about to put a $54 fix in our cart, a wacky old man slid up, Kramer-style, and grabbed the box.
“You don’t want that,” he assured. “You got mosquitoes in your yard, you just need to invest in some bamboo.”
Certain that he was about to sell us on a slough of bamboo stacked from the back of a dilapidated truck, I cringed for the sales pitch. But it never came. Wacky Old Man went on to say that if you pick up sticks of bamboo from a store and stake them across your yard, nature will take care of the mosquito problem. It seems that dragonflies love to perch on bamboo about as much as they love to eat mosquitoes. I remembered this but never got around to picking up bamboo.
I got distracted by my overwhelm and overstimulation until the beginning of this summer. Knowing that I wanted to do a lot of reading and writing on the porch, I remembered Wacky Old Man from Lowe’s. We took a trip to Walmart and scoured the aisles for bamboo sticks but couldn’t seem to find any. That’s when my savior of a wife found a pack of cheap bamboo skewers.
With less than a dollar investment, I grabbed the skewers and staked them across my front lawn. The next morning, dragonflies were everywhere! I’ve seen maybe six mosquitoes all summer, and I’ve been outside more than anywhere else.
When life bombards you with overwhelm, consider the simple hacks that can take away some irritants. As the ecosystem in my yard has now reached a balance that I heartily prefer, you can find a more manageable balance in tackling the little things, bit-by-bit, instead of resigning to the overwhelm. If you need a bit of help in coming up with a strategy, I’ve been reading some tremendous books that offer perspective. Check them out!
What simple hacks have made your life more manageable? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
(Note: This post includes affiliate links. This means that, for every purchase you make following some of my links, I get a cut from the product provider. This doesn’t cost you any extra money, but it certainly can help me pay the bills!)
