How To: Practice Safe Stress

I giggled to myself over that title. Turns out theres actually a book called "Practice Safe Stress: Healing & Laughing in the Face of Stress." (I googled it.) Glad I'm not the only one who enjoys a good old fashioned middle-school-maturity-level play on words.

DISCLAIMER: I am by no means an expert on any topic I choose to write about from here on out, but maybe the things that I've gone through or are going through currently relate to you and can help you in some way. At the very least, you can laugh at/with me, remembering that one time that maybe you too felt like a complete moron, as I go through the many Mishaps of an Almost Adult.

Ohhhh, stress. Makes my eye twitch a little just looking at the word. Remember in college when we thought we were so good at time management? Life was full of stressful situations: how to get to class, get homework done, make it to your sorority meetings, work out, and all in time to be ready to go to whatever party you wanted. I was a master at multi-tasking. You frequently found me reading a text book while on the stationary bike, cycling away. I’ve always been a fan of the “twofer.”

Picture me late last week as I suddenly found myself with entirely too much on my plate. I would have been knee-deep in laundry from my trip home except that I hadn’t even opened my suitcase other than to take my makeup out. I could barely see my kitchen counter from the amount of mail and clutter that had accumulated. Brodie was whining at me for attention and wondering why his toys were all buried under who knows what. And there I sat, pouring over my computer, trying to meet entirely too many deadlines all at once and ready to rip my hair out.

I looked down at Brodie, told him to stop whining, and that we needed to have a serious talk. It was time for him to start pulling his weight around here. No more of this “free” business, just taking advantage of all that I give him. I was tired of hearing about his lack of opposable thumbs making life difficult for him. It was time to either start using that cute face of his to make some money or learn to do chores around the house. I said to him, “Don't worry, I'm not gonna do what you all think I'm gonna do, which is, you know, FLIP OUT!”

And then I realized I was talking to my dog.

This situation had become far worse than I’d previously realized.

Now that we’re Almost Adults, the importance of time management is taken to an entirely different level. I’ve got to be able to have my $*!+ together enough every morning to get myself to work looking semi-presentable. Unlike class, work isn’t optional. As much as I’d love to be able to roll out of bed, throw on a baseball hat over my messy hair and walk out the door in clothes suitable for my gym plans after, that isn’t a feasible option anymore. Oh how I miss being in college and my under-employed days. But then I remember that I like things that my job can buy me – like food.

All of us have been put into Adult-ish stressful situations, whether its office politics, money issues, employment drama, relationship trouble, or whatever rides your case. So how do we cope sans temper tantrum meltdown?

1.  Take a deep breath. I feel so wise when I say, “This, too, shall pass.”
2. Prioritize. Figure out what’s most important and get it done first.
3. Allow yourself a break. Let off some steam, whether its watching a TV show, running, cooking, reading a book, or getting college-drunk, I don’t care. Just relax for a few.
4.  Vent. Talk to your friends and warn them that you need to vent. Write it down if that works for you. Get it out and then let it go.
5.  Be rational. It’s probably not as bad as you think. Worrying never fixed a single problem.
6.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Pride tends to be one massive roadblock for me and its dumb. Be like my dad; refer to it as “delegating” rather than asking for help. He’s a big fan of delegating.
7. Laugh at yourself. A good sense of humor will get you through almost anything. Some of my funniest moments happen when I’m about to snap. My delirious crazy laugh turns into an actual side splitting laugh, and voila. Not so stressed.

If you hear odd, semi-crazed hysterical laughter, its probably just me holding my hand over my eye to get it to stop twitching. Don't worry. I'll probably be fine.