Kitt O’Malley

Life Simplified

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Using WordPress Reader Lists has simplified my life. There are a seemingly infinite number of excellent blogs to follow, read, like, and comment on. If you comment, I will respond. I “follow” those who follow me. Whether or not I read or comment, I do care. There are only 24 hours in a day, and I’m running out of steam. My New Year Resolution is to protect my time and energy. I am doing so now.

Now I free my time for writing original content and for living my life unplugged. I have books to read and training to attend. Starting January 31st, I will attend my local NAMI Orange County chapter Provider Education Program with the hope of becoming a Provider Educator.

We have to get our reactive dogs into dog training; actually, the humans in the family need training on how to communicate with our dogs.

Our house is a mess. Clutter surrounds us on every horizontal surface. I’m not the best house-keeper in the world, not that I ever aspired to be such. Still, I should clean the house every now and again. No doubt I should cook more often, for when I do, we eat more healthfully. (The “shoulds” are adding up here.) Luckily, we have options for healthy take-out nearby. We can get sushi, Persian salmon kabobs, grilled or ceviche fish tacos, and Indian food within a few miles. Not bad at all.

Did I mention that we have to finish painting the interior and exterior of our house and possibly heighten our fences to reduce stimulation of our territorial dogs? Oh, and I’m married to a civil engineer. Translation: he’s a consummate do-it-yourselfer. He’s handy and has accomplished a lot, including installing solid oak floors, but there is much still much to be done.

To top it all off, extended family members we love dearly fight cancer and multiple sclerosis. Oh, and just in case you didn’t read my tag line, I have bipolar disorder, and I’m a mom. No wonder I feel overwhelmed.

Comments

20 responses to “Life Simplified”

  1. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    I’m glad that you are on a positive journey of mental health recovery from trauma. You are a true survivor. Many people of completely unaware of how traumatizing childhood and adolescent life threatening illnesses can be.

  2. Zoe Avatar
    Zoe

    I ran a rather busy blog for a year on Tumblr (related to a hobby) and it’s definitely time consuming. I tried so hard to respond to everyone, to read what people wrote to me or about me, and it took a tremendous amount of time away from my actual life. I vowed to never fall into that habit again, but like you, I also do care about everyone too. Thanks for sharing yourself with us. It was precisely because of bloggers like you that I took courage to chronicle my journey and use it as a way to get better.

  3. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Thank you. Wish you the best, too. My son is our Xbox addict. He sold his last system and was mountain biking during all of his free time for over a year and a half, then recently decided that he wanted to be able to talk to his cousins while they were playing Xbox. He’s an only child, so his cousins are important to him.

  4. writerwannabe763 Avatar
    writerwannabe763

    (I’m a nag nag nag! ) ha! Diane

  5. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Thank you, Diane. Actually, I’m reading fewer blogs and commenting less, which is an improvement.

  6. bipolegen Avatar
    bipolegen

    Totally know what you mean about feeling overwhelmed – there never seem to be enough hours in the day, even though I WANT to write everything I think, and read what everyone else thinks. Housework pretty much always comes bottom of my to-do list, but the messy house is the thing that stresses me most on a daily basis, because it surrounds me and greets me when I get up. Wish we had healthy takeouts nearby – and wish I had a handy hubby too! Mine’s an Xbox addict, LOL.
    Good luck with your resolution, hope it works better than mine usually do!

  7. writerwannabe763 Avatar
    writerwannabe763

    I like your New Year’s resolution … try to remember it each week when you’re scheduling your time… Diane

  8. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Indeed I need to take it easy and slow down.

  9. findingmysunshine86 Avatar
    findingmysunshine86

    Fantastic news about the NAMI provider education! What an amazing achievement! But it sounds like you have SO much on your plate at the moment. I think you are absolutely doing the right thing by trying to wind down a little. Look after yourself Kitt.

  10. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Thank you!

  11. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    I know, that’s why I pointed it out. Here is my bipolar list:
    https://wordpress.com/read/list/kittomalley/bipolar-disorder/

  12. Grief Happens Avatar
    Grief Happens

    Totally understand this. I’m striving for balance in all areas and my to-do list — oh my goodness. Wishing you all the best in 2015… on all your projects.

  13. dyane Avatar
    dyane

    I do know that; I love the fact that you share such a diverse array of resources through Twitter and here, and if that link helps even one person, I’ll be totally thrilled!

  14. Laura P. Schulman, MD, MA Avatar
    Laura P. Schulman, MD, MA

    Hmmm, I have not yet tapped the monumental powers of The Reader. It seems that anything that smacks of “organization” slips between my spaced-out fingers. I am going to attempt this one, though, because as you know I am a blogging addict and I do want to gather more mental health bloggers into my personal circle! (BTW, I learned in my NLP course that you really shouldn’t “should on yourself,” heehee.)

  15. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Thank you!

  16. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    Thank you!

  17. Kitt O'Malley Avatar
    Kitt O’Malley

    I appreciate the link. Thank you. You know I like sharing resources widely.

  18. thebipolarmama Avatar
    thebipolarmama

    Hugs!

  19. slipperyalligatordream Avatar
    slipperyalligatordream

    First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on the NAMI Provider Education Program! I think I would feel overwhelmed, too, with all the goings on in your life right now. I completely understand where you are coming from – just remember to continue taking time for yourself! Great post!

  20. dyane Avatar
    dyane

    I’d feel overwhelmed too, facing all the challenges you write about here. But I also feel very hopeful for you because you are identifying what you need to focus upon, and you clearly realize your weaknesses and strengths. That’s not very common with most people I know.

    Because you are juggling so much, I’ll continue to lovingly nag, I mean remind you to keep using your new elliptical, and to use “Dr. Alsuwaidan-style” (when you are ready to do so….) as that will help you immeasurably.

    For those who have no idea who the psychiatrist Dr. Alsuwaidan is and what exercise style I’m referring to, please read this brief blog post at the below link. (Kitt, you know I can’t help myself when it comes to this topic!!!)

    http://kuwaitmood.com/exercise-mood-part-iii-from-science-to-action/

    I am very proud of you and I’m excited that you’ll embark on the NAMI Provider Education program!!!! You will do a fantastic job!

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