Episode 142: The Art of Maintaining

In this episode, Diana and Becky talk about the Art of Maintaining. This is a great episode for people who are struggling lately or drowning in the shoulda, woulda, couldas. Becky and Diana bring it back to the present and ask hard questions about what is really important and how we NEED to take care of ourselves. And Becky advocates for getting rid of the words "strive" and "working hard." Sometimes in life we find ourselves needing to maintain rather than excel, and that's okay. Diana talks about appreciating the moment instead of settling by pushing through it. She also discusses the system she created to help her get through her days when she needs to just maintain. Diana also discusses how hard it was to maintain when she had a young child and how people in her life continuously pressured her to get more done. Becky reminds us that maintaining is a big part of Essentialism because when we choose to maintain instead of striving for more, we are claiming our own priorities and owning that it's ok to be in the moment and take care of ourselves. When we tell ourselves we "should" be doing something, there is always someone else's belief behind it. Instead, we must stop and ask ourselves if this belief is true right now or if it even matters to us. It's easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you need to be doing more. Maintaining is giving up the illusion of control. Diana compares maintaining to being a superhero. To expand on the metaphor, when we maintain, we become like The Flash because we are slowing down everything around us and focusing solely on the important parts. While in Maintaining mode, priorities get really small and specific. It's like wearing blinders and earplugs - and it takes a lot of practice. Self-care is the cornerstone of maintaining. Becky talks about the importance of having support for our self-care. We can enlist the help of family members, or friends, or acquaintances to remind us that in order to get through the current situation, we must take care of ourselves.