When you feel responsible for everyone’s happiness

I felt hemmed in today by everyone’s emotions.

I couldn’t see what the next good thing was for me to do.

I’d had my coffee, but I still couldn’t think clearly - so I changed my shoes, grabbed my phone, and told my family I was going for a walk.

Walking helps me clarify my thoughts and figure out my feelings.

When you are walking, you can sift through the things you need to do and what you can let slide because it’s not yours to carry.

When I feel hemmed in by emotions, it’s often because I think I must fix everyone in my house who is dissatisfied with life. 

As I walked, I listed the things I needed to do that afternoon before the sun went down. Some of them were for my children, and some of them would make my husband happy. By the time I got home, I was feeling more cheerful about my jobs.

The funny thing was, in my absence the mood had lifted by itself.

P.S. It is a trap to think you are responsible for making other people happy. It is a skill to know and practice what makes you happy.