Life gets crazy sometimes and when it does, I begin to feel overwhelmed.

When that happens, deadlines loom, chores become insurmountable and worries escalate.

To alleviate this state of chaos, I often pick up the phone to call someone to unload.

Some of the time, this only serves as fodder.

To talk continually about whatever may be happening at the time does not fix anything, I am learning. It only ramps up my anxiety.

And because I am on this learning curve, I make slips, and this week I called hubby.

Unlike me, he has learned that chewing on the fat all the time is not productive, so very kindly, he told me he was too busy to listen.

He also reminded me I was too busy to talk, and then he offered a solution.

He suggested that we do our “work” and not let anything get in the way of that, and at 8 p.m. that night, after we had eaten dinner, we could sit down and discuss everything that was bothering me, but not before then.

I agreed.

Ironically, by 8 p.m. things didn’t seem quite as urgent as they had earlier in the day, and by knowing that I would have a chance to process through my feelings at the designated time, I also felt some relief.

Isn’t it crazy how your mind works that way? Just thinking I could put something on ice for a while allowed me to let go, not only get on with my day, but it also took away the urgency to come up with an immediate resolution.

And then, by the time our 8 p.m. conversation had come to an end, I realized I didn’t even have to come up with a solution, because in being patient, sometimes things will work out on their own.

Chilling out is a valuable lesson I need to add to my learning process of how to deal with life’s challenges, because letting little whoppers overtake me at times is just not healthy.

Therefore, by removing this need to act urgently, I can then contemplate thoughtfully the best course of action to take, which more often than not, immediate action is usually not necessary.

My maternal grandmother used to tell me something similar.

When things were dire, she would say, “You get five minutes a day to have a pity party, and then it’s time to move on.”

I am a lucky woman to have so many sage people in my life; however, it is now up to me to decide to put their wisdom into practice.

Terri Cowart Frazier is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. You may reach her at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com