Stressed? De-stress!

To say that the last few weeks of my life have been a little…eventful…would be a serious understatement. The unfortunateness of the timeframe in question is that the events which have occurred have been more negative than positive. The phrase “When it rains, it pours” bears great meaning to myself and my family presently. The amount of stress that I have allowed myself to retain inside has been excessive, to say the least. For this I am not proud. However, being the person that I am I began to look for something teachable in these moments of stress and frustration (and sadness as well).

As a mother *Super-Mom* I have an amazing tune out feature installed within me. I can continue a conversation in the face of wails and cries, and the frequent noises of children -mine or someone else’s- without missing a beat. I can carry on conversations with more than one child (or person) at a time, and most of the time manage to keep the conversations properly connected topic to person as well. With the help of my mobile brain -planner/notebook- I can keep schedules and appointments, lists, dates, plans, menus, and events organized. Facebook is my source of conversation and entertainment, Candy Crush my temporary retreat and sleep aid, and Pinterest my virtual collection of amazing ideas that I will, one day, accomplish in their entirety! (Sarcasm?)

But this mother is also human. There are days when I feel a little (?) overwhelmed. Sometimes it is just a day, sometimes it lasts a whole week…and no matter how long it lasts, at that time it “feels” like forever! In those moments, and days, I often lose my ability to multi task. I have little to no focus, and my frustration mounts higher and higher. Yeah, I will admit I have turned circles in my living room asking myself how in the world I am going to get through a situation, over and over and over again, coming up with no solution. I have let stress get to me. I have allowed myself to get upset to the point that I would shut myself in my room to avoid any human interaction at all. I have even tried blaming other people and situations for my angst.

Now that I have shared all my little blips that occur when I’m out of sorts, I shall elaborate on those little things I preach to myself often and endeavor to accomplish after I transform from the green goblin of stress back into my normal, human self (insert mental image…).

First, I take a seriously deep breath and let it out nice and slow. A deep, cleansing breath does wonders for the body; physically and psychologically. Sometimes it helps to make a noise when doing this…it accomplishes more than a let down from the hype. It also releases a chuckle now and then, especially if the boys witness me in my stress/de-stress modes. One thing I can say about my children…they are NOT the cause of my stress. However, they definitely help reduce it at times like these.  “Hey mom. Are you gonna breathe real big and make funny noises again? Do you need to go to your room and yell? Did you buy that punching bag you said you wanted yet? Can we hit it too?” Yeah, you know you just grinned a little yourself, reading the words of innocent kids witnessing the near explosion of Mount Mother-Rage.

Next, I take a step back and look at it all from a distance. I love taking a walk when I feel stressed. Another good reason to have a membership at a gym. When walking around my neighborhood isn’t so appealing, or convenient, the treadmill and/or elliptical at the gym suit just fine. Walking away from stress, even for a short amount of time, does wonders for one’s ability to handle tough situations! Upon return we can look at the situation with fresh eyes and a new perspective. Perspective! There’s another story all its own! But truly, once that perspective changes, the situation becomes a little easier to bear, and often times a solution comes to mind and lifts the spirit up out of the funk. Prayer and meditation are great activities during this part of the de-stressing.

So far we have taken a deep breath, let out some noise, and walked away for a few minutes to get a grip. What next?  Oh yes…

Never forget the things that bring great joy!

 Even in my stress my children know how to make me smile. They have their antics and their funny things, and at times even their ways of handling a situation they don’t care for gets entertaining. My husband brings me great joy! He’s a nut sometimes (have to be to live with me and survive), but he’s my hero! He holds me up even when I’m beating me down. He always has, and always will. My family brings me joy. My friends bring me joy. While I may be over 2000 miles from most of them, I know I can reach someone and have a crazy hilarious conversation that has us both laughing till we ache inside and out.

As I said before, the little things can be the biggest blessings, giving the greatest joys. 

When you are stressed, hurt, sad, angry, or just down and out, find that crazy noise deep down, take a massive breath and let that sucker out! Stomp and have a tantrum! I’ve done that! You should see my children in THOSE moments! Haha! Then… walk away. Move away from the yuck and get that new perspective. Think on those happy things, remember something funny. Tell a horrible, bland joke to a close friend and hee haw at it until you snort!

Since we can’t avoid those things that give us stress (at least not all of them) forever, finally, go back and face that sucker head on! I like to joke about the SuperMom status (no…I’m not joking. I. am. SuperMom!), but in truth there’s something about standing up and taking a situation head on, getting your victory, success, and putting it behind you never to worry about again, that gives you that super feeling. And that will help you get past the next one. Oh yeah…did I mention there’s going to be more? Yep. But that’s ok! You just made it through this one with me. You have achieved some extra super powers of your own. Another day, another joy, another trial…a stronger person. I got this! So do you! *inhale…*