Undoing the To Do List- De-Stressing the Virgo Way

I am stressed out. In fact more than stressed out, I feel like I am a walking post it sticker too scared to go outside in case one of them blows off and I forget what was on there.

At present I am at the extremely pointy end of a major project which involves complete closure of facilities both in Sydney and elsewhere around Australia, the destruction (in an environmental way) of the kit that is left, plus relocate those of us who are left and still stay on top of business as usual. Add to that the training for last weeks race (and the one I have entered in November), the usual domestic diva/Mum/wife/chef extraordinaire thing, and words for all blogs and the manuscript that time has forgotten, and this little fishie is looking for a new tank to play in.

We all naturally deviate to our shadow sides when we are under the pump. In the case of Pisces it is victim mentality- the world is so not fair and why is this all on my shoulders and there is no one to understand or help and I seriously think I should run away. In the case of Virgo, it can either be analysis paralysis, extreme criticality, extreme martyrdom or a hands in the air just let chaos reign and see if I care attitude…or all of the above.

In my case, the way through is via Aries, movement and a Just Do It attitude. In Virgo’s case, the path to serenity is through Libra.

Being Virgo can be exhausting. You are great at what you do because of your attention to detail, but seriously, all of those details sort of merge into each other sometimes. I asked an extremely effective at being Virgo friend how she relaxes, or indeed if she ever relaxes. She told me that she doesn’t have time. Yep, she is the extremely clichéd Virgo- and readily admits to it…now…

Virgo is so good at what she does because of the order, the organisation. But oh my goodness it is exhausting. The first sign that things may be getting a tad out of control or venturing off the critical path may be a rumbling in the gut- literally.

Virgo can burn out easily. Generally the first sign that something is wrong is felt in the gut…literally- your digestion will be off. But you keep going. Then other things start to get out of control. Your personal reserves are exhausted. To replenish these, look to your 2nd house, look to Libra.

As hard as it is, you have to learn to smell the roses, lie back and listen to music, appreciate beauty…every so often you have to just stop. Sometimes you need to un-do the to do list.

In lieu of a “to do” list, some ideas for stressed Virgos:

·       No matter how much is going on, keep that coffee date with a friend. The chat will do you so much good and the housework can wait.

·       Look for the good in yourself and those around you, rather than concentrating on what you know isn’t perfect. A balanced view is so much less stressful.

·       Sometime spreadsheets don’t add up, but did you do the best you could in the time you had available? Give yourself some credit.

·       Try to move your stance from one of judgment to one of understanding- this can be a tough one. Remember the Libra scales. This may help you delegate some of those tasks that other people are perfectly capable of completing.

·       Libra is a graceful sign and loves music and dance…why not try substituting your daily gym session for a dance session- the movement and the music will help you get back in touch with your body…also, you may not be perfect and that is cool too as you will be the only one in the room worried about it!

·       And finally, potentially the biggest challenge of all- let someone else do it. Take it one step further and let someone else look after you. Ask for it, if you have to…you may not be perfect, but you deserve it.