When in Rome...

Its been a hugely busy past two weeks and it doesn't look like its going to calm down for the next two! And I'm tired....
Last night I attended a stunning event on board The Barracuda and sailed down the Thames past Southbank, The London Eye, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, all the while enjoying champagne and sumptuous canapés.  Ready to head home by 9 pm, I walked into Waterloo Station to find that all the trains home were cancelled due to a signal failure. Long story short, it took me 2 hours to get home (normally 40 mins), and I got to bed after midnight.
So there was no way I was getting up at 5 am to write this morning!

And when I don't write I get agitated... and when I'm agitated I start berating myself for not doing more. Because at the end of the day, I only have myself to blame for not planning my time better; for trying to fit in too much and for not prioritising what is important to me... you see where this is going don't you? It can become a vicious circle if I don't get a grip on it.

I find a few things help to pull me towards myself, and shake off the negative spiral.

Tomorrow is another day - instead of burning the midnight oil, when everything seems more dire, I have a long, hot bath, grab a good book and head off to bed.
Plan some downtime - I carve out a space in my diary for myself, or simply just put a long line through a weekend when I just see me.
Listen to classical music - piano solo soothes me. It says take your time, don't be in such a rush.
Meditate -  go to that quiet, happy place in your mind and switch off for 15 minutes.

When I finally calm down, its with the knowing that Rome wasn't built in a day, that life goes on, and that there is always enough time.