This week was a particularly full week. There were a lot of balls in the air: deadlines, another day off of school, schedule changes, etc. What struck me though was how I was able to manage it all in a different way than I have in the past.

As I’ve shared, I can have an ‘all or nothing’ approach to life. My close friend jokes that my favorite colors are black and white. Because of this, I used to conduct my life with switches—they were either on or off. But what I’ve learned from men and women who are much smarter than me is how to embrace the dimmer.

There are often times when everything feels imminent to me. And I’ve noticed that the more there is to do, the faster I feel everything needs to get done. As demands become increasingly overwhelming, that’s actually when I have to go into dimmer-mode. I breathe, reach out to a friend, take time to gather facts concerning due dates and discern what dials need to be turned up, and what dials can be turned down. Being given permission to trade in my switches for dials allows me to adjust my approach according to what will bring the most peace into our lives, and those are exactly the kinds of turns I want to be making.

Do you ever feel like if you stop, the train is going to run you over? I’d love to hear how you manage the high-stress times in your life in the comment section below.

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