I’ve always wanted to be a good egg, so thank you, Gabriella. 🙂

I had a feeling we were in the same boat. Where did those oars go, anyway? 😉 But seriously, I suspect with the stressful 19 months we’ve all had, we are not alone.

Same here. Yet, if I lost one or two of these big clients, I’d lose a big chunk of income, but I’d be okay with that. I did something odd a few months ago — I decided just how little I can bring in every month and still be fine.

Turns out it’s quite a lot less than what’s coming in now. So for now, as the madness continues to poke at the borders, I’m banking money. If I client drops out, I’m good for a year or more at this point. There would be no need-to-find-work stress replacing the too-much-work stress.

You are very welcome for the reminder. I had to remind myself. 😉

I’m in the same boat–overwhelmed all the time.

And I’m coming to the same realizations you are. I have a client that’s considering ending a weekly enewsletter I do for them, through no fault of mine. It’ll be a big financial hit if it happens. But after a few months of worrying, I’m surprisingly zen about it.

If it happens, it will help my workload, though not my wallet. And the client likes me, so it wouldn’t surprise me to have them contact me to handle another project. But even if they didn’t, I know that clients come and go, and in my 16 years of doing this, it has all worked out.

I say repeatedly: I don’t want to be this busy. And I’m serious. This is too much. A client just approached me about becoming a part-time employee. I gave it serious thought out of respect for the client, but I told hm I didn’t see how it would work for both of us–primarily because I don’t want the stress of being “owned” by someone again.

Thankfully, I’m like you, too. My happy place is the pool. And after pools being closed for much of the pandemic, I’ve been back each weekday morning for a few months now. It soooo straightens out my head. We need to take care of ourselves first. Always. Thanks for the reminder.