Beating the stress monster with a big stick

I've never really considered myself a binge eater, an emotional eater OR an alcoholic.  I do do things to extremes, though, especially when stressed.  (did you giggle when you read do do?  i did!)

If I stress, I tend to do other stressful things.  I spend more money.  I go on strike in the kitchen.  I hire help.  I go out to eat.  I have a cocktail...or five...  and I make brownies.

These actions are truly self-defeating.  After a cocktail of wine or chocolate, my almost busted give-a-damn always suffers a thorough beating and becomes totally non-existent.  I stop caring about anything, really, and isn't that the purpose of self-medicating anyway?  But guess what happens?  I wake up in the morning feeling groggy, foggy, and unhealthy.  I feel guilty, shameful and fat.  My self-medicating always backfires on me and I end up right back where I started at, sometimes with a hangover to boot.  It may have temporarily alleviated the immediate stress of the situation, but it has done nothing to either fix the root cause of the stress or make me a better person inside or out.

And I must be certifiably crazy, because I've been keenly aware of this cycle since I've been old enough to think about it, but yet I let it continue.  I really need to come up with a list of alternative stress busters to turn to.  I commit to myself (and to you) that the next time I swear that STRESSED is DESSERTS spelled backwards or I think that I NEED a glass of wine to unwind, I'll consider one of these alternatives instead (but in no specific order).

1.) WORK.  I work from home and often there are extra hours to be picked up.  While it is true that work can be a source of stress, more often lack of money is the real source.  That or the guilty feeling that I'm not doing as good of a job as I know that I am capable of.  So if there are not hours to be picked up, files to edit. or spreadsheets to do, I know I can at least do some speed drills and dictionary work to make certain that my product is my personal best. 

2.) WALK.  I have a dog, I have a stroller, I have a functioning body and I have tennis shoes.  Often a change of scenery is all that I need to get the persistent case of the grumpies to go away.

3.)  CLEAN.  Another source of stress in my life is clutter or mess, but so often I just gripe about it and avoid it rather than tackling it.  But doing the dishes won't make me relax, of this I'm certain.  But tackling a closet leaves me with a sense of accomplishment and peace.  That, and it gives me a chance to rock some tunes and direct my attention towards something.

4.) BLOG/JOURNAL.  I love to write, and I love to share my thoughts, insights, inspirations and even humiliations.  Writing is something I've always loved to do, but I rarely get to it anymore.  If I can make time for mixing up a batch of brownies or running to the corner store for a bottle of wine, I could write a quick little blog instead.

5.) EXERCISE BREAK.  How about drop and give me 20?  Or more likely, 2.  If every time I felt stressed or down in the dumps I did as many push-ups as I could muster, my arms would be buff in no time! If I gave my abs the workout that I give my gut, I'd probably like the results more.  Jump squats?  Jump rope?  Biceps curls?  And yet again, another tuneage opporutnity.

6.) SHOWER.  Seriously.  A shower resulting in clean hair and smooth legs can really remake a mood in my busy world.  Just wash the blues down the drain, right?

7.) PLAY.  I love board games and I love my kids.  They love getting me to play a game with them, but I am sad to admit that I do not make the same time for that as I would like to.  I'm certain that a game of uno, jenga, life, or sorry could be a nice distraction from the pressures of everyday living.  Or I can teach them the joys of card games like rumi, spades, or war!  I like this idea.

8.) TAKE A PICTURE.  Photography is a hobby that I love... and miss!  I stopped taking pictures because I couldn't afford the equipment to make my photos look as good as they do in my mind's eye.  But just because I'm not pursuing it professionally doesn't mean that I don't need to archive my family's memories and have fun making something beautiful in the mean time.

9.) READ.  I love to read, both fiction and non-fiction alike.  Even if it's only a 10-minute reading break, it's still a break and would still do me some good.  Not research, though.  Just reading.

10.) BEAUTIFY.  Fix my hair, paint my nails, do a self-tan, change my clothes.  Anything to give  a good ole self-esteem boost.

Ten should do it for now.  That's a lot to choose from, and any of those options would be much healthier than the food and drink I've resorted to of late.  And that, my friends, is my subtle change that will cause a seismic shift in my health for the week.  One change at a time, I'm taking my life back!