Last spring, I started feeling weighed down by constant anxiety. I had so many things on my mind that I couldn’t seem to find any peace. I needed a break from my own thoughts. I needed margin.
You see, there was always something I was “stewing” about:
- Continuing to grow my marketing business
- Writing posts and building a community on social media for the blog
- Working with my oldest daughter on her speech delay
- Investing more effort into my health
- Spending quality time with my hubby
And as a stay-at-home mom, it’s not exactly like I have a ton of free time, and that won’t change anytime soon.
Ultimately, something had to give. I couldn’t continue this madness, especially when the entire message of this blog is simplifying life and overcoming busyness. So I stepped away from as much as I could short-term– promoting my marketing business, doing anything blog-related and tackling any home projects. I spent the extra time reading nonfiction and fiction books about simple living, including The Happiness Dare and Magnolia Story, listening to podcasts about minimalism and taking courses on making room to breathe. I began to crave margin.
I thought margin was just free time until I read this by Amy at Encouraging Moms at Home:
“Reading a great book is not really margin. Reading a great book is more of an escape. You get away from your place and forget who you are and live in someone else’s moment. And trust me, I have enjoyed my fair share of fictional reading material. I’m not saying books are bad. I’m just saying books are a fabulous break — but that’s not margin.
Taking a walk is not always margin. If your walk is filled with thoughts about the cares of this world and the cares of your day, that’s not margin. You can certainly purpose to have margin on your walk but that’s just the thing. In order to experience margin you have to purposely step away mentally from all the stress. All the stuff. Let it go.
If you do not have time for margin, you are doing too many things.”
I had too many things. And if I really want a simpler, margin-filled life, it was time to let go.
And during that short break, I began to notice some things I’d been missing like my daughter’s made-up stories while she played, the smell of honeysuckle outside late at night, the space to have deep conversations with God.
What about you? Are there things in your life (activities, relationships, habits) that are weighing you down and you need to let go?
Like the Defeating Busy Facebook page and let’s focus on pursuing a simpler, more intentional life together.
