![\"contractor](\"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/c2tblog-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Contractor_trash-338x450.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nTechnology isn\u2019t my only\nfrustration. Contractors have been in my home for two weeks. Every morning I\nhave to cover things in plastic and remove everything from the kitchen\ncountertops because they workers don\u2019t necessarily proceed in the order they\npredicted the day before. I can\u2019t do laundry because that room is partially finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On top of that, power surges have\ncaused repeated air conditioning failures at my office that must be dealt with\nand paid for. My ISP coded my internet for 100 Mbps instead of 1000 and didn\u2019t\nfind the error for 5 service calls. I\u2019m dealing with the aftermath of evicting\na friend from my home. I\u2019m facing a tax deadline. My RV battery is dead (hopefully\nnot forever). And it\u2019s 110\u02da\noutside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I say all of that, not for you to\nfeel bad for me; none of these things are catastrophic. I just want to paint a\npicture of why I feel more frustrated than usual by everyday problems. We all\nget to this point at times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge is finding a way to\nstay on track with our health plan when we feel like we\u2019re at a breaking point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A lot of advice emphasizes self-care\nat times like these. My problem is I\u2019d define self-care as turning the A\/C to\n65, jumping in bed and binge watching while eating chips and cookies until it\ncools off or the contractors leave. Obviously, frustration is tempting me toward\nunhealthy choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrangling the resources to make\nhealthier decisions feels overwhelming. Do I know how to ask for help? Yes. Do\nI have friends who will help? Yes. Does it feel like more than I can do to figure\nout what I need and then pick up the phone and ask for it? Yes. Frustration has\ndoubled down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And if I start down the path of\nbeing angry at myself for not just getting a grip and functioning, I\u2019ll neither\nbe kind to myself nor lessen my frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what should I do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make a plan? It\u2019s great to have a\nplan in advance. I was prepared for the first week of this round of house reno.\nI spent the previous weekend cooking, cleaning, and removing stuff from the\nkitchen. I had food available that was easy to grab and easy to clean up. But one\nweek turned into two (now three) and I had visitors on the weekends. My plan\nwas not sufficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that\u2019s usually how we end up\nat this point of frustration. Something, or many things, outside our realm of\ncontrol go awry. We use our intellectual, physical, and emotional resources to work\naround them until we begin to feel ineffective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When a plan stops working, revise\nit or let it go. The quicker you can do this, the quicker you\u2019ll be able to\nmove forward. Hanging onto something that isn\u2019t working only adds to frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To keep your eating plan on\ntrack, buy some quick foods that are readily available from your local store. While\nyou\u2019re at it buy extra in case a frustrating situation drags on. To keep my\ndiet gluten-free and low in histamine, I buy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- QuickSteak<\/a> \u0336 Frozen shaved steak that cooks in a matter of minutes. It comes frozen with 3 break-a-part servings and a seasoning packet that\u2019s currently gluten free. There\u2019s also a chicken version of this I haven\u2019t tried.<\/li>
- Trader Joe\u2019s Grassfed Beef Sirloin Roast \u0336 20 minutes in the oven on a foil covered pan and you have roast beef to eat sliced, atop a salad, or in a quick stir fry the next day.<\/li>
- Rotisserie Chicken \u0336 Many grocery stores have these available. Be sure to read the label to determine if the seasoning contains any prohibited ingredients.<\/li>
- Bagged Boiled Eggs<\/a> \u0336 I can make egg salad in a matter of minutes.<\/li>
- Microwave Rice https:\/\/anniechun.com\/products\/ \u0336 This rice cooks in one minute and can be eaten for breakfast or as the starch at another meal.<\/li>
- Ready to Microwave potatoes \u0336 With my microwave currently in the dining room, these potatoes make things easier. I don\u2019t have to wash or puncture them. I just pop them in and set the timer.<\/li>
- Veggies \u0336 I choose veggies that I enjoy raw: Sugar snap peas, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, bell peppers, butter lettuce, arugula, baby bok choy.<\/li>
- Frozen Veggies \u0336 English peas and edamame are my favorites. A steam-in bag reduces the amount of cleanup required.<\/li>
- Fresh fruit \u0336 Apples, bananas, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and grapes all make a regular rotation. Peaches and pears in season are also favorites.<\/li>
- Goat cheese \u0336 I add this to scrambled eggs, eat it on crackers, and serve it with black cherry jam and a glass of wine to neighbors who want to see the progress on my house.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
These are all fast, easy items that require minimal cooking\nand are easy to clean up. That makes them perfect for weeks that are erratic\nand frustrating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ordering delivery can also be a way to be kind to yourself\nwhen the budget allows. Often ordering through a restaurant\u2019s website and\nletting them choose the delivery service is less expensive than ordering through\na delivery service\u2019s site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I feel frustrated because there are too many things to\ndo, it\u2019s harder to find time to work out. Letting the extra trips up and down\nthe stairs, furniture moving, and yard work count as part of my workout makes\nme feel less pushed for time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During difficult periods, I try to organize tasks based on\nwhen I function best. For me, solving computer problems at 10pm is ill advised.\nThat task is better suited to the morning. When my mind is rested and fresh, I\ndon\u2019t get frustrated as quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeping environmental chaos to a minimum helps me feel\ncalmer and less stressed. On the other hand, tolerating a small amount of disarray\nin the house means spending less time shifting things around only to shift it\nback when the contractor arrives the next day . I just try to find the balance\npoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No matter what the stressor is, rest is essential to\nminimizing its effect. At frustrating times, I can be kind to myself by going\nto bed on time even if that means leaving something undone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If it lessens my stress, this is a great time to rely on priorities. If I\u2019m already feeling like things are spinning out of control, it\u2019s not the time to try to sit and determine what\u2019s most important. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes the best way to move forward is to start with a simple task that\u2019s right in front of me and go from there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- I can plug in an external keyboard and type this post without solving my ongoing problem. <\/li>
- I can order lunch for delivery. I\u2019m cringing a bit over the cost, but I\u2019ll get enough for two meals so I can regroup this evening without having to think about food. <\/li>
- Next, I\u2019m going to pay bills. I\u2019m not going to file the papers on my desk. That will only make me feel more behind because I have a deadline looming on another project. I\u2019ll stack the pile neatly and save filing for later. Once the bills are paid, the contractor will most likely be gone for the day and I\u2019ll be able to determine my next step.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Just typing those steps makes me feel less frustrated and\nmore on my game. I have a loose plan. I can visualize getting through the day.\nAnd I can see a light at the end of the construction tunnel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Will I get everything done that I have planned? Maybe. Will\nI still feel frustrated at the end of the day? Maybe. But when I take a step\nback and look at the improvements in the house, I\u2019ll know it\u2019s been a good day!\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now if I can just conquer this laptop!!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising<\/em>.” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How can you stay on track when facing frustration? I\u2019m fighting a Windows 11 22h2 update that has rendered my laptop unusable without an external keyboard. Most keys work. Sometimes they all work. But inexplicably, I\u2019ll be typing along and suddenly have no c,v,m, and enter. Without c, I can\u2019t type my name or use … Continue reading “Frustration”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[792,9],"tags":[1185,3470,3471,3469],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5305"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5305"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5309,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5305\/revisions\/5309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}