One, two, three, BREATHE.

One, two, three, BREATHE.

And repeat.

Anyone else feeling tired, stressed and overwhelmed leading into the holidays? Actually, my stress and anxiety has nothing to do with the holidays. That’s been the beauty in scaling back this year. I’m tired because I sleep an average of  5 hours a night and I’m overwhelmed because I have two jobs, a 10 year old son with ADHD + (I added the plus!), and I am behind in my writing assignments/blog posts.

These components are not going anywhere. Nothing is changing anytime soon. Instead, I have to come up with a plan to manage my stress. I’ve been working on a list of things I need to change. I thought I would share what I have so far.

Ready?

1. Sleep – This is one that I probably have the most trouble with. And there are ZERO excuses. Both boys go to bed fairly early. I save most of my writing until they’ve gone to bed. Except that’s almost a total lie. I save ALL of my writing/blogging until bedtime. Big mistake. Yet I continue to do it. I don’t know how to flip the procrastination switch but I’ve got to figure it out. I need to go to bed at a decent hour – around 9:30, maybe – and actually close my eyes and GO. TO. SLEEP. I blame Netflix. Sleep deprivation definitely makes me anxious.
2. Take social media breaks – Raise your hand if you check Facebook 1,000 times a day. Not only that, but I barely enjoy activities with the boys because I’m too busy snapping pictures of everything to show what fun we’re having. Hands? Anyone? Yeah, I thought so. You know what I’m talking about. Granted, social media is part of my job, but there has GOT to be a happy medium. I just have to find it. Staying glued to my phone and laptop definitely makes me anxious.
3. Eat balanced meals – I am an expert on eating right, so any questions or inquiries you have, don’t hesitate to shoot them my way. And by eating right, I mean, I eat all the carbs and sugar my heart desires. I also no longer have an exercise routine. Yeah. Once upon a time, I used the treadmill every night. Those days are gone, but it’s  much sturdier than our other clothes line, so all is well. Not eating well and not exercising definitely makes me anxious.
4. Talk to a friend – This is not something I need to change, but I couldn’t write a post on being stressed and overwhelmed without adding it. It’s the most important component to staying healthy. I’ve actually mastered this one. I hope that we all have that one person we can tell anything and everything to. It can be your spouse, your BFF or someone in your family. I would not be sitting here writing this today if I had to keep my feelings bottled up. Unless you’re a child reading this, you’ve figured out that sometimes life sucks. Better judgement didn’t win here, ‘sucks’ is just a more appropriate word #sorrynotsorry. Bad things happen and disappointment rolls in at some point for all of us. If you don’t have that person to vent to, you’ll drown. When I am stressed (like now) it is imperative for me to unload on my people. Of course, it works both ways! Keeping my feelings to myself and not asking for advice/help definitely makes me anxious. 

Okay, that’s what I have so far. What do you think? If you guys have any thoughts on what I could add, PLEASE share.

Oh… I just thought of one more… TRAVEL. Duh.I change my mind – this is my #1. Road trips, weekend getaways and vacations are what keep me sane.

Well, sane might be a stretch, but it definitely keeps me from feeling quite so overwhelmed.

Speaking of… my friend and I are heading to the beach in the morning. I am taking the weekend off from my writing responsibilities. I plan to rest, relax, probably freeze, eat seafood and laugh until my stomach hurts.

Check back in with me Monday. I am making progress with this site and adding pictures, so next week I plan to publish my review of Kilwins in Greenville. In addition to that review, I’ll share my visit to Grove Park Inn. 

Happy (early) weekend!