Step One

So, the first, most obvious solution was to drop something from our schedule.

I was driving back and forth from the local public school four times a day, three days per week.

We had homeschool co-op for three hours one morning per week.

We had three separate therapy appointments for one hour each week.

The therapy involved is: occupational therapy to address Batman's heinous printing and below average core strength, speech therapy for social communication skills and psychotherapy for emotional regulation and anxiety.

We had regular showings for our condo.

I had my running group.

I know what they say about self-care, but I axed the running group right off.

The therapy had to stay. Co-op was actually one of the few times during the week I get a break, and the condo was only going to stay on the market through the end of October. So, we decided to drop the public school classes.

That seemed like a straightforward decision. It cleared up our schedule; I started a much-needed decompression process wherein I regained my personality and reined in my overwrought adrenal glands.

But it wasn't, not really.