To Follow or Not Follow The Rules? That is the Question

Have you ever thought of giving yourself a break and not following the rules you were brought up with when you are stressed out, tired, and overwhelmed? Or do you hear your parents in your head saying “You can’t do that, that’s not proper,” or “That’s not the way I taught you to _______________ (fill in the blank with whatever activity they are shaming you in your head about.)” The fact is we need to give ourselves the permissions – and the grace – needed to break the rules just so we can breathe easier on occassion.

I first heard about this idea when I was working my way through a major decluttering of my apartment a year ago. I was overwhelmed with everything I had to accomplish in a very short period of time. Then I saw a story about a woman who was coping with depression and couldn’t get her dishes done because the thought of having to scrub them was overwhelming to her at the time. Her therapist told her to wash them in the dishwasher as many times as she needed to get them done and gave her permission to break the rules to help her own mental health. That one action allowed her to start moving to a better place and I decided to steal the idea and use it in my own life.

While I was running the dishwasher as many times as I needed, I got other things I needed to work on done. Load of Laundry – CHECK. Drawer cleaned out and wiped down – CHECK. Shelving cleaned off, wiped down and reset – CHECK!!!! I made progress and began feeling better as things got cleaner.

Today, I basically follow the “rules” I learned and scrub down the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher. But if I need to break the rules, I’m not afraid to any more.