When One Day At A Time Is Too Much

 A long time ago in a city far away, I joined Weight Watchers and was dismayed that I had to lose a little over 15kg.  (That doesn't seem so bad now, when I need to lose more than 50kg.)  At the time, the very wise lecturer gave me some important advice: just think about the first 5kg.  The rest can wait until you've done that.

It's good advice for any large task, break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks. 

There's an old song that asks Jesus to "teach me to take one day at a time."  It's about breaking life down into manageable chunks.

Sadly, for many of us with lupus, a day at a time can be to much to deal with.

If you have a list of things to do today, and it all looks too much, stop looking at it all.  Just pick one task and break it down into its smallest possible parts.  Then chose one small part you're confident you can do. Just one.  When you get through that, have a rest if you need to, before you look for another one little thing you can do.

For example, if one of the tasks you need to do today is to clean the kitchen, break that down into: unload the dishwasher; load the dishwasher; put things away; wipe down the benches; wipe down the stove; sweep the floor; mop the floor; take out the rubbish.  Then choose, just one of those smaller tasks. Do it. Give yourself credit for achieving something.  Have a rest if you need to. Come back when you're able to do the next little bit.

When a day at a time is too much, it's OK to take life an hour, or a minute at a time.