The Red Flags of My Life

I’m a driven person.

I don’t like to talk about doing things.
I like to do them.

I always have some new dream in the making.
A project on the horizon.
Something I’m a part of that I’m excited about.

Most of the time, this keeps my life fresh and flowing with energy (read how I pace myself here).
I can’t wait to wake up and live each new day.
But sometimes I underestimate my own energy supply and I start careening toward something more unhealthy.

When this happens, I’ve noticed–through years of observation–there are usually some warning signs.

When any of the following things happen, and especially when several of them occur in tandem, I’ve learned to treat them as RED FLAGS. Red flags that signal I’m doing too much or going too fast and I need to hit the brakes.

• I get really behind on my housework. Not acceptable levels of behind (like a few dishes in the sink or a little laundry in the hamper), but ridiculous levels of behind. Running out of glasses and socks behind.
• I get really behind on my car maintenance. My car is never pristine. It never will be. There’s no mistaking it for a car-just-off-the-lot. But there’s a big difference between a stray baby toy or blanket and mounds of empty bottles and receipts I keep meaning–but haven’t gotten around to–taking to the garbage can. Similarly, if I don’t have time in life to get a once in-a-few-months oil change that takes 20 minutes, something is off.
• I’m not taking care of myself. Really. I always eat. I always breathe. But sometimes I short change myself in other ways. Maybe I’ve been meaning to schedule a doctor’s appointment, a teeth cleaning, a haircut…but something else (the baby, a book, a pet project) always seems to steal the best time slots. In all seriousness, if my toenails aren’t painted (not that this matters, but its a preference), its a small signal that I’ve probably been neglecting yours truly.
• I need, instead of want, a caffeine boost. I don’t have trouble sleeping, but sometimes I just choose not to. Maybe after a long day of working with at-risk high schoolers and caring for an infant, I think, I deserve to be able to veg out in front of the TV. I want my ME time. So I force myself awake to later hours than I should, which means I’m borrowing energy from tomorrow. 
• I am making silly mistakes/having lapses of memory that make me seem much older than I am. For example, I try using my house key on my classroom door. Totally different key; looks nothing alike. I’m just that out of it. Or I try to dial “9” on my cellphone before calling out–like my mind hasn’t even registered I’ve left work. Or not only can I not find my keys or phone or where I parked the car (which is normal for me), but I can’t even come close to remember where I was when I last had them.
• My thank you cards are piling up. Someone gave me a present, watched my son, loaned me their car…did me a favor worth acknowledging. I want to express my gratitude, but I can’t seem to find the time to pick up a pen, collect a few stamps and actually thank them properly.
• I leave people hanging. My inbox is full of emails that I don’t get around to responding to. I need to think more, find out more information, or figure out a few things before I respond. But as more emails come in–things that are pressing to my every day life or the projects I already have–other emails get pushed to the bottom. I mean to send an email that says, “I’m getting to this. Give me a few days,” but I don’t even always get around to that. The same can go for voicemails. 

Granted, these are MY red flags.
Yours might be a little bit different.
But we all have them.
Things we neglect when the going gets tough.
Things that bounce around in front of us, little red flags waving, reminding us to recorrect our course.

What about you? What are your red flags?

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