Avoiding the Blorft

“Blorft is an adjective that means completely overwhelmed but proceeding as if everything is fine and reacting to the stress with the torpor of a possum. I have been blorft every day for the past seven years.”
-Tina Fey, Actress and Comedian

POINT TO PONDER:
What type of investment could you make in your physical, mental, spiritual and emotional bank accounts that will allow you to feel your best so you can give your best?

ACTION ITEM:
Decide how you will invest in yourself this summer.

by Neissa Brown Springmann

A few weeks ago I found myself unmotivated and tired. Despite partaking in my usual pick-me-up rituals of iGnite, rest, and a clean diet, I couldn’t shake my lethargic state. After dropping off the children at Mother’s Day Out, my skin began to crawl. If you haven’t heard of “skin crawling,” it’s a term my mom always used when she was having an out-of-body stressful experience that was usually caused by me or my sister. So, as I was driving down MoPac with crawling skin, it dawned on me that maybe the mysterious rash I’ve had on my hands for six weeks and the bizarre and annoying itching I’ve been experiencing at night just might be stress related, which meant one thing — I MUST GET AWAY!

Despite the urge to drive to Fredericksburg and check myself into a bed and breakfast and call my husband Russell (who was in California for work) and give him an aggressive wake-up call, I decided to call my calm, cool and collected dad and proclaim my decision to treat myself to a getaway. As my wise father usually does, he just listened, which was all I needed.

Then, last week when Russell’s travel for work ended and he was home, I decided it was time to kindly and gently make him aware of my feelings. I really dreaded this conversation and was beginning to feel guilty. I was literally having to pump myself up with my motto, “YOU. CAN. DO. HARD. THINGS!” Ultimately, I knew that if I didn’t communicate my feelings, our relationship (amongst many other things) would suffer. So, upon looking at the master family calendar together and first allowing him to tell me of all of the dates he would be traveling (yes, that was strategic), I began to explain that my fuel tank was on empty and I needed a few days alone to recharge my battery. Despite warning him not to take my comments personally, he did, and only heard “I want to get away without you,” which was not what I was saying. After twenty minutes of heated, but much-needed, conversation, we worked it all out and Russell understood my needs.

The fact was, if I didn’t do this for myself, there was no way that I would be worth two cents for months upon end, for anyone. If I hadn’t communicated my true needs, I would continue to be a passive aggressive martyr and my stress would eventually lead to resentment, a compromised immune system (which I think has already happened) and illness — which a very dear and wise friend reminded me that had our moms communicated their feelings and needs and taken occasional breaks, it’s possible that some of their health issues like depression, thyroid disease, high blood pressure and obesity could have been avoided. And as for my ongoing, let’s call it “unpleasantness” that Russell has mentioned, well…it was directly connected to my needing a break.

So, three weeks from now I’m hopping on an airplane and heading to my favorite getaway spot, Santa Monica, California where I will get a few nights of uninterrupted sleep, enjoy walks on the beach, inspiring sunsets and quiet time. This is just what I need to avoid ‘blorft’ and to recharge my battery so that compromised and irritated Neissa can be replaced by the loving, passionate, level-headed and fun Neissa that I am at my best.

With summer and family vacations around the corner, I want to remind you that vacations with family and children are most often not vacations, rather they’re an investment in your family. So, my question to you is, what type of investment do you plan on making in your physical, mental, spiritual and emotional bank account that will allow you to avoid ‘blorft’ and feel your best so you can give your best?

RELATED ARTICLES: