Have you heard the phrase “Do the next right thing?” If not, let me provide some context. It is a song from the 2019 Disney movie Frozen 2. Anna has just learned that not only has her sister, but also her best friend, Olaf has essentially died within minutes of one another. She is far from her fiancé and lost in the wilderness. She feels completely alone in the world. Yikes! She is dealing with some rather bleak emotions. How will she even begin to make the next move with all of this grief and depression? Let me tell you, the next move that she will make will be the most important of all. While they seem nearly impossible, this is where she tells herself (well, sings – it’s Disney after all) to simply take one step. What now? Step again. One by one, she is making the smallest manageable movements that will eventually result in accomplishing a larger goal.
As always, a Disney movie mantra is easier said than done, but the point of the matter remains: break it down into what is feasible for you for this moment. If you can’t bring yourself to do the laundry, separate the darks and whites. If a 10-page paper is looming and feeling impossible, maybe set a timer for 7 minutes to free write an outline and put it away until the next time. The point is that there is no accomplishment too small when life feels overwhelming. Right now, we are in the midst of a global natural disaster. No one quite knows what to do next, but the most important thing is that you do not quit. There may be days when we just need to listen to our body and allow it to rest, and that is okay! When the time is right to work again, take the small steps, and just do the next…right… thing.