How thin is too thin?

[threadwalker]

when you spread yourself thin across multiple commitments, how do you decide you've spread yourself too thin?

Is it a physical failure?
Mental paralysis?
Sudden unexpected shopping trips?
The insane desire to take on more, proving that you weren't overcommitted before but you might be nudging close to it now?
Friends warning you that you are frazzled or perhaps insane?
Or do you even notice before you collapse in a confused haze of exhaustion?

And what do you do to recover?
Do you cut out activities?
Freak and do a 180, becoming ultra-uncommitted?
Do you continue to try to keep all the balls in the air until you go to system failure?

Just curious.

Comments

[hunrvogt.livejournal.com]

I know I'm too thin when I get an inner edginess. This is usually followed by realizing I am dropping responsibilities in my private life/marriage and the H. is picking up the slack for me.

At that point I try to find the deadline/light at the end of the tunnel. I priortize the things that can't be put off, Communicate to my husband what is going on and hang on by my fingernails until I can return to an even keel.

I've never gotten overwhelmed by an infinite commitment. So far it's always had a finite deadline.

I also have a wonderful husband and marriage. We understand that while we are each other's lifetime commitment sometimes other things take short term priority.