Life speeds by...

It is May.

This is one of my busiest months as a school music therapist. The talent show is next Friday, graduation is six days later, and summer school plans have to be made before school is finished for summer break. All of this in addition to the normal pattern of music therapy sessions and work responsibilities. I am slowly losing my mind since there are also papers to write, treatment plans to coordinate, visual aids to laminate, AMTA work to be done, and many other things to do. In addition, I have been sick for the past three months and am finally starting to feel better, but am still requiring LOTS of sleep.

I got so caught up in the flood of things that have piled up that I forgot to pay my rent this month. So, here it is on the 6th, and I have just now paid my rent. This is an unusual situation for me - just the rent portion of this particular rant, not the lots of things part.

In moments like this, I have to simplify my life. 

In the next days, I will be writing down all of the things that I need to do. (I really like lists.) Then, I will assign a priority number to each item. This task helps me to carve out time for each and every thing that needs to be done. When I have finished an item on my list, I get to cross it off!


This may sound simple, but it is one of my coping strategies.


Once the list is made, I can plot my timeline for the next two weeks. I identify when each task will be addressed.


Some things are easy to prioritize. My paper will be finished by tomorrow evening. Other things are less easy. The AMTA work will be done when I can fit it in. Graduation song rehearsal is happening on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next two weeks. The plans for summer school have to be finished by next Tuesday. The formats for sessions for summer school do not have to be addressed until after school is on summer break. Visual aids can always wait until other things have been completed. With the list, I can do anything!


The one thing lacking in this blog diatribe is the musical aspect.


I have to find ways to put music into my life other than what I do for my clients. At times like these when I feel overwhelmed, my personal musical processes are often shoved to the side. So, on my list, I will place times for either making or listening to music as part of my self-care plan.


Off to plan the next 14 days. Wish me luck!

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