OT: Stress management!

Ok, I am WAY over-tired, over-emotional, too fat (duh), and ready to crack! With a 75 hr week (work and maintaining a 4.0 at school), plus all these Dr. Appointments (none of them even with the surgeon yet, getting the website up and going, & trying to quit smoking, I am just about on my last nerve. I am broke (duh, and more stress, LOL), but what do ya all have for me? Suggestions? So far, I found this really great cabin with a hot tub in the woods, overlooking a river, but thats 140 a night, 2 night min. I WANT it sooo bad, but other half is saying it's too much. bleck! So help me out here, I just can't even handle the stress of looking up how to de-stress. What do you do to getway from it all? Thankx everybody! Brandi

Hi Brandi. Here are some suggestions that work for me: 1. Prayer. Very relaxing. 2. Call a friend who loves you, warts and all, and will listen and not interrupt. 3. Take a trip to the ocean and walk on the beach. If walking isn't for you, just sit and watch the waves come in. All that costs is gas and time to get there. 4. Bubble bath. 5. Rent a movie - a comedy! 6. Take a nap. Sounds like you are really tired. Try going to bed early for a few nights. 7. Know that a whole lot of us are thinking of you and loving you just the way you are. Peggy

hey girl, that's how I got MO to begin with.. I don't know how to handle stress.. never have!! and I am a highly stressed person with all the pure crap in my life. and then after wls and loosing 100 lbs is when I started snacking again.. eating out of STRESS!!! that's when I finnaly got on here and started begging people to go out with me.. at least for that ONE night I was snacking.. but then we ate at the dam restuarant so it kinda defeated my purpose but it was so awesome to meet people.. LOL I refuse to go back on antidepressants.. I know some people say I should.. but I had the worst depressive episode while taking two seperate ones while on high doeses.. so I figure why bother!! anyhoo good luck finding some answers.. and by the way 140.00 to save your sanity is WORTH IT... so go!! have fun, chill and relax... Theresa

Hang in there kid! You do have a lot on your plate, so the way you are feeling is NORMAL. For me, doing something to nuture me, ALONE, gets me the most milage. I know it sounds extravagant, but sometimes I get a manicure and pedicure. For $30 it feels really good, you get a little massage, and it looks good for a week afterwards. I am still way to self consious to get a massage, but I can handle the manicure/pedicure. I also go to a good movie that maybe no one else in my life would want to see. Some people aren't comfortable going someplace alone, but I find it very relaxing. An hour browsing at Borders works for me too. I also think the weekend trip to the cabin sounds wonderful. It is a big amount, but other than that you can pack your own food/wine, and it won't end up spending much more than that amount. Sometimes you just have to do something like that to shore yourself up for another spell of your regular life. Hope you feel better. Patty

Thankx guys! Some good thoughts here! As far as the going to bed early, I can only do it on Weekends, bleck! So I go on 5 hrs of sleep a night during the week, by the end, I am sooo tired! LOL! The beach sounds nice. I remember one night I did drive all the way out there at night, sat on the beach at 2am listening to the ocean, it was really groovy! I may just do that! I think I may put in more overtime than usual at work, so I can earn the extra money to go to that cabin! The phone call thing kinda made me a little teary-eyed. I really don't have that friend. I have casual friends at work, and my boyfriend, but not somebody I can just call. My man is supportive, but doesn't really listen alot, just keeps saying "you'll be fine" and "It will be ok" I love him dearly, but I can just go on and on with him, LOL! I haven't had a girl friend since high school! It's weird! I really do feel alone sometimes, even though I am surrounded by guy pals. God, I need to get down off my cross, somebody needs the wood! Sorry! LOL! Thankx everybody! Brandi

Well, you sound like me....always loading your plate up with a huge variety and not being able to "eat it." My only method for destressing really is dropping things. I have hard time saying no, so I tend to take on too much, then I get overburdened and I find I need to drop things. Obviously you have 2 things that take up a majority of your time that you can't drop - work and school - but are there other things you can put on hold for awhile? I also go on 4-5 hours a sleep a day during my work week, so I seriously know how you feel. I really can't say what would work for you, but I really enjoy just going to the coast...as has already been mentioned. It really helps me breathe. I have no real plans...no agenda. I just go and crash wherever I want to. Usually we get a motel room on the beach and there are times I just sit on the balcony and do nothing. Also, driving TO the coast tends to help me sometimes. The fact that you are doing a simple task (driving) and you have a couple hours to do it in helps give you time to sort through things. When I was a teen, riding a bike for a couple hours did this for me. I did that every day. It helped me sort through things in my mind and I felt more calm and relaxed. Hope you are able to get a nice cabin and feel no guilt over doing no sightseeing or exploring. I always felt guilty for that, but sometimes you just need to sit and watch the ocean or scenery! Dina

WLS camping! AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! I am soo there, but if life is on track, I will be having my surgery late March, or April. TICK TOCK! The idea of just driving to the coast sounds really awesome, I think thats a groovy idea. I can do it next weekend, after my Alegbra Final! To celebrate being out of school for an entire month! WHOOHOOOOO!!!!!!!! I thought about what I could drop. But the truth is, all I do is drop Laundry, Vacuming, cooking, dishes, ect... LOL! All I really do is JUST work and school, and Dr. Appointments. I feel like I am not doing enough! And my poor boyfriend has to deal with me being stressed out and broke. He is always there for me, I would have given up by now if it weren't for his support. ::::gush gush;:::: I also would just love to have a Shari's buddy. Somebody to sit and smoke and talk and drink coffee/tea whatever with late at night. I used to do that ALL THE TIME! I miss the contact. My friends and I used to sit there for hours and hours talking about the meaning of the universe, books, gossip, music, movies, whatever. I feel like I have become too much of a grown up, ya know? I wanna play and be silly and stay out late! Anybody in the Milwaukie area who is interested in the sit/smoke/drink at Shari's late at night, let me know! LOL! Brandi

Brandi - it's so funny because when I was a smoker that was my THING. I adored sitting there for hours talking about everything under the sun, laughing, drinking cup after cup of coffee and smoking a couple packs at a time. THANKFULLY I no longer smoke and don't have that albatross around my neck, but I would be lying if I said I didn't look back on those times fondly. But I don't dwell on them - so when you finally do quit, don't think that you will forever pine for that smoke. Eventually that fades. If you were down here in Medford, I'd go out to Shari's with you, but I'd have to say the smoking section is no longer my favorite place to be! Maybe we could sit out in the back yard and have coffee and let the smoke go up in the air! Dina

EXACTLY! I miss it alot. But today I was able to do it! I went to work to put in my usual overtime on my stinking day off! And after work some friends of mine and myself went to see a friend in the hospital, then went out to Denny's. It was sooo groovy! I felt soo relaxed with no worries. And I just got Mists of Avalon and the Blue Collar Comedy Tour in the mail A' La Netflix (isn't it grand??) and now I make some popcorn, get in my PJ's and snuggle up with a light blanky, one of the cats and veg. I can't wait, I feel like I am going to disneyland, I have the house to myself all night!!!! Brandi

hey brandi, sending you my number.. I'm in gladstone.. cant' really do the late night thing at shari's but..... Theresa