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When someone is in a good place, when they have a handle on things, when there are no particularly difficult events happening in their life, they can prioritize quite a bit. Think about it. You may have times you feel like superwoman because you’re on top of just about everything. But, again, there needs to be some peace, balance, and overall wellness in your life if you’re going to nail every part of it.
During times of extreme stress, however, which, for many, is right now, a person cannot be expected to keep the same priorities. It’s important to know that because so many people try to prioritize the same things — to not slow down and to act as though everything is fine when it isn’t — and that can have painful consequences. It’s okay to not give your all when you don’t have your all. Anyone who loves you should understand that. But, more importantly, you should understand that. Here, Dr. Laura Louis, a licensed psychologist who often helps patients with stress management, talks about what to prioritize and deprioritize during times of stress.
Source: Dr. Laura owns these photos / Glamor Shots
Postponing doesn’t mean not caring
One of the reasons it can be difficult for someone to de-prioritize certain things, temporarily, is the fear that that means they permanently don’t care about that thing. Putting a hold on work or your social life can feel like saying those things don’t matter to me. But Dr. Louis assures us that, “You can say to yourself ‘I care about this. It is important to me. But right now, it’s going to send me over the edge.’”
