Hello! I’m usually such a morning person, but I’m a little sleepy this morning. Nevertheless, I’m up and did some exercises: 50 crunches, 15 push-ups, 20 squats, 20 dead-lifts. Right now it’s tea and 1/2 pb&j on whole wheat time, while I lament the fact that I didn’t go to the grocery store yesterday to get produce (we’re almost all out!)
Last night, the husbo worked late - very late. I like to wait up for him even if “waiting up” means leaving the tv on and falling asleep on the couch until he gets in which is what happened last night. He finally rolled in a little after midnight, and when you work at a 9-5 office job, this is extreme overtime. Anyhow, he was super-hungry when he came in so I heated up some dinner and then we went to bed. 5 hours later I woke him up to head back to work. Wow.
While I don’t ever work those crazy hours, my job can be extremely stressful. Many of us are stretched thin and have a lot of pressures in our lives. How do you take care of yourself when you are really stressed? How do you slow down and find time for yourself?
For me, exercise is key. Running is very cathartic for me. I can really clear my head while running outside and listening to only the pace of my footsteps. I tend to schedule some time to run on a really stressful week, even if only for a few minutes. It really calms my nerves and gives me uninterrupted alone time to work through problems.
I also tend to isolate myself from negativity. Lunch with teachers at work can often be a festival of complaints, and when I’m stressed and worked to the bone, I find a quiet lunch by myself, or with a book, really restorative.
As far as easing the transition back into the work week, I tend to use Sunday to cook a bunch of meals, prepare some lunches, etc. This can save me a lot of time during the week and also ensure that I am still getting very healthy, home-cooked meals despite not having much time. I’ll be posting quite a bit on make-ahead meals in the upcoming weeks.
These are a few things I do to keep stress at bay. So let me know - how do you deal?
