I Don't Do Stress

Y'all. I had to go to the dentist yesterday. Not my favorite place. It's been years since I've had any dental work done (besides the normal semi-annual check-ups), and I gotta say I was sort of freaking out. Once they numbed my mouth, I started having a mini panic attack because I thought that I couldn't breathe. Of course, I could breathe. But I was freaking out that I couldn't.

I think from now on, anytime I have to be given medication, I will probably freak out just a bit thanks to the fact that I had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic several months ago and went into anaphylactic shock. Yeah. That wasn't scary at all. Feeling your throat close up so that you can't breathe and watching your husband talk calmly on the phone with 911 when what you really want him to do is scream and yell and GET SOMEONE HERE NOW! Not. Scary. At. All.

It was also a little unnerving to realize that apparently I go into major panic mode whenever I am in a stressful situation. I didn't really know this about myself. (But apparently, Peter would confirm that I'm a "panicker.") All I could think was that I was going to die right there in my kitchen while my babies slept peacefully down the hall. Dramatic much? But it's good to know that Peter reacts so calmly in a high stress environment. I'll be the first to admit, however, that his statement "I was just going to trache you if the paramedics didn't get here quickly enough" didn't really soothe my nerves. I mean, that was your backup plan? Traching me?? I don't think you're qualified to do that, honey...

So, I've been a little stressed lately, thinking about Peter's upcoming deployment and wondering how I am going to handle everything in my life that he is currently helping me handle. Carpool and supper time and bath time and getting all three kids where they need to go. Ugh. And things just got a little bit trickier because Brienne made the Pine Grove Middle School basketball team. We are super excited about it but between her practices and games and Jonah's soccer practices and games, I'm going to need a nanny. Or a clone.

Just thinking about it can send me into a tailspin.

So when I had the opportunity to get away for an extended weekend with Peter, to relax and regroup, I jumped headfirst. As I mentioned in my last post, Peter and I enjoyed a little beach getaway a couple weekends ago. It was originally planned as my 40th birthday trip, but when we found out that Peter would be deploying this winter, the beach trip seemed to come at the perfect time. It was so nice to spend a lazy weekend reading at the beach, browsing through my favorite stores (My new favorite store is Altar'd State. If you haven't been in one, you should check it out!), eating dinner without having to plead, beg, and force kids to eat, and just hanging out with my husband. We went for long runs through a beach community and Peter had me in stitches. He was so dang funny that I could hardly run for all the laughter and tears. I even thought to myself, "Hey. This guy is hysterical. I actually really like hanging out with him." Maybe some of you can't understand this but it is often difficult to just hang out with and enjoy your spouse when you are disciplining kids, making lunches, carpooling all over town, helping with homework, and giving baths. Every couple needs a little "away" time to ensure that they are connecting with each other. And let me tell you - I felt so refreshed after we returned. I couldn't wait to get my hands on the little people in my house.

You know what else de-stresses me, besides some much-needed beach time? Writing.  I am trying to make some writing goals for myself. One of my goals is to blog weekly. We'll see if that actually happens considering I'm about to be a single parent for six months. Then again, I'm sure I will be stressed out on occasion and writing de-stresses me so maybe I actually will blog on a weekly basis. Another goal is to write something daily. Not for this blog. Maybe not for anyone else except for me. But I feel like I have something to say and even if I have to say it to myself, it's probably worth saying. (And maybe I actually need to hear what I have to say.) That probably doesn't make any sense to anybody else but me...

Stress occurs in everyone's life on some level. It may be the daily stress of working and providing for your family. Or the stress of raising children. Maybe you have excessive stress resulting from a terrible loss or financial difficulties. Life. Is. Stressful. I think it's important for each of us to find things that help relieve our stresses instead of things that add to our stress. It might be exercise or relaxing with a glass of wine at the end of the day. It might be having a mid-morning coffee date with your girlfriend to decompress. Whatever it is, I encourage you to take time for yourself to regroup and maybe even delegate things in your life that can be done by someone else.

The Bible tells us not to worry about anything. Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." It's often difficult to remember to go to Him first, but when we do, He is faithful to show us ways to manage our stress.

Now if only I can actually remember this instead of freaking out all the time!

And hey! I just want to thank everyone who has purchased one of my books. If you are feeling generous, head on over to Amazon and write a review for me here. And if you haven't purchased a book, you can get your copy here or you can download it to your kindle here. Christmas is right around the corner and they would make great gifts for all your mommy friends!

Now, I would love to hear from all of you about ways you combat the stress in your life. I think we can all benefit from other's successes and failures. Don't be afraid to share!