After reading this post by Richele McFarlin, I felt so relieved. It turns out that I am not the only one who gets overwhelmed or questions her capabilities from time to time. Thank you Richele for reminding me that we home – based professionals, like everyone else, are real. We each have our own things that we struggle with from time to time, and we all have to reach out and ask for help sometimes.
Lately, I have been attracting work like a magnet. I am excited because I love my work, but I can not pretend that it does not increase the level of stress that I feel. Most of the extra work consists of small assignments that require just a few hours to complete, but it can make me feel a little crazy just to think about it. I also have a hearing and a couple of appointments within the next couple of weeks and those calendar items require that I find people to care for my little guy while I attend them. On top of those things, there is the little guy, who is my primary responsibility during his waking hours as well as a home which I strive to keep tidy but somehow always seems rather untidy. With all of this going on, I actually sometimes forget for a moment that I am pregnant with only two months left to go. My gigantic belly does not let me forget for long, though, and I sometimes feel uncomfortable.
How do I deal with the stresses that my particular life contains? I have a few things that really work well for me and I rely on them to keep my head on straight. Number one is sleep. I make sure that I get seven or eight hours a night because I know that if I don’t, it is much harder to deal with everything that is on my plate. Equally important is food. I get downright nasty if I do not eat when I am hungry, pregnant or not. I keep my home stocked with nutritious foods and of course a few treats for those times when only chocolate will do. Communication is also a wonderful source of stress relief for me, and talking with my husband is a real treat especially when he calls me on his way home from work late at night or while we are sitting at the kitchen table after he gets home. Sharing a hug or a silly giggle with my son is a fun way to forget about stress. A final form of stress relief comes from reaching out to others and asking for help when I need it, whether it is work advice from a mentor or asking my parents or my in – laws to come and spend some quality time with the little guy so that I can go to court or to an appointment.