Giant ball of stress

[siercia]

I should have known that this month long posting every day thing wasn't going to happen, but I actually made it further than I expected.  Life is a little too crazy right now, and I'm a little too sleep deprived.

Helping a dear friend through a crisis (that so far looks like it will end well, but there's still plenty of room for it to go pear-shaped on her), a couple of overnight baby shifts to help keep Carrie from completely losing her mind, and a test knitting project that is getting very close to the deadline and is not nearly finished enough piled on top of normal life have all combined to turn me into a giant ball of stress.  I hadn't realized how bad it was until I realized yesterday that I was driving around with my jaw clenched so tight that my neck and face were throbbing.  And I was just running errands, not doing anything warranting that level of mental torque, at least not right in that moment.

I'm a worrier by nature, and that's especially true when there's situations where I can't do anything to help.  I gather in all that stress and clutch it to me, as if I hold it tight enough, I'll be able to move the universe with the power of my mind and make things tun out OK.

Since I realized just how stressed I was feeling yesterday, I've been trying to pull myself back from it, mostly by noticing when I'm starting to tense up and taking a minute or two to breathe and let it go.  It's working remarkably well. Tonight I am going to settle into my couch with the test knitting and make some progress - double bonus, since I'll be moving forward on something stressing and knitting is a great relaxation tool - and I'm going to try to get to bed early enough to get some good sleep in.

Any other suggestions, besides a good glass of wine to go with the knitting tonight?

In good things, Hannah's chorus had their first concert Friday night, and it was lovely. Tonight is our third installment of kid's cooking night, and this week looks (so far) like it is going to be much more calm.

Comments

[liddle-oldman.livejournal.com]

Don't Panic!

;)

[sahara-harp.livejournal.com]

Massage. Hot bath. Deep breathing and conscious unclenching. Remember that flow chart about worrying. Sounds like you're doing all the right things. :) It's amazing how much simply being aware of this stuff can help.

[ratphooey.livejournal.com]

Any other suggestions, besides a good glass of wine to go with the knitting tonight?

A second glass!

[siercia]

Sadly, our bath tub is not big enough for baths and I've not been in a good mental space for massage in a while. Lots of deep breathing going on - ooooh, maybe I'll try the wacky alternate nostril breathing I learned in yoga.

And trying hard to be aware and head it off before it gets really bad again.

[siercia]

A second glass is dangerous - that's when the knitting starts to go pear shaped!

[siercia]

No panicking! Just the inexorable slide into permanently clenched up.

[sahara-harp.livejournal.com]

I'd be very interested to understand what you mean by "good mental space for massage". Good for me to understand, don't you know. :) If you would prefer via email that's fine.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

If I ever figure out how to de-stress, I will let you know.

[whuffle.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Hot showers or baths. Prioritizing and setting aside (or delegating) the things that you just don't have time for. Making absolutely certain that you take 15 minutes at the beginning and end of every day to do nothing but think so you can hear what the stressors are and acknowledge them before letting them go.

[siercia]

Hahahahahaha!

I can't get rid of it completely, but I'd like to be able to not be clenched so tight I squeak, you know?

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

That's fine, as long as you really wanna knit pear cozies!

Okay, pear cozies would be AWESOME.

[tool-of-satan.livejournal.com]

I WANTED to buy you a punching bag as a wedding present, but you said no.