Many who know me know that I try to be open, honest, genuine and real… Soooo…. here we go!
I’m TIRED! No… scratch that… I’m EXHAUSTED! I would be lying if I said I wasn’t counting down the days until summer break. I can’t WAIT!!!
These past two weeks have been the HARDEST weeks I’ve had in a long time. I felt like I could barely keep up at home, work and with life in general. I have been trying so ha
rd to keep my head above water and have been doing so… BARELY!
Exactly two weeks ago we celebrated Rissy’s 2nd birthday. (Side note: I still can’t believe she’s two now!! She’s not a baby anymore… she’s a little girl! I wasn’t ready for her to grow so fast! The birthday party was a blast and we had a great time.)
Going into that work week, things seemed to be moving along nicely. I had everything in place for a smooth week. But the stress of the week caused me to find myself in the Urgent Care dealing with chest pains that Friday. Thankfully after the EKG, blood work and chest X-ray that were completed, everything checked out fine. I’ve had the chest pains a handful of times before, but never went to the doctor for them. Things had gotten so stressful for me that week that when the chest pains came back, I felt that I HAD to get checked out. While the doctor said that everything was fine, she did recommend that I take a stress test. So I will definitely be following up on that soon.
In prepping for the following week, I was really looking forward to having Memorial Day off… especially after the “eventful” week I just gone through. I was a little bummed that I didn’t get as much done around the house as I had hoped to that weekend, but thankfully I had that Monday off to spend with family. Going back to work on Tuesday, I made a point in my mind to make sure that I didn’t allow myself to get stressed out. While that week was less stressful, I found myself becoming EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED for MANY reasons… work and home related. When last Friday rolled around… I was just trying to get to the weekend at that point. Needless to say after those last two weeks… I was DONE… in EVERY way!
While these last two weeks have been challenging, I made a conscience effort to find things to be grateful for… Here are some of the”bright spots” I found:
- Seeing my baby girl playing, having a blast and really enjoying her birthday party
- Finally getting the chest pains checked out- and knowing for sure that everything is okay
- Finding out that one of my dear, dear friends and her husband are expecting (I’m soooo excited!!!)
- Enjoying a much needed, nice LOOOONG 4 hour nap on Memorial Day (YES … 4 hours!!!)
- Spending quality time with family and enjoying great food (My bro in law is quite the chef!)
- Having 4 hours to myself this weekend to get caught up on the laundry, cleaning and other things
- Realizing that even though my job can be very stressful at times, that the Lord has made provisions for everything we need
- Realizing that if I can get through this school year, working in two different schools and having two very different jobs… I can get through ANYTHING
- Having friends that checked in on me, supported me, encouraged me during this time (relationships are priceless!)
- Knowing that I don’t have to do things on my own, but can draw from the strength and wisdom the Lord provides
I could go on and on… but you get the idea. 🙂
These past two weeks have really caused me to “practice what I preach” when it comes to being a Gr8ful Woman. Yes, I had some moments of frustration, anger, stress and even shed some tears…okay more than some… but I have also seen firsthand what having a grateful heart can do for someone in the midst of some of the hardest “storms” they are facing. Being grateful truly is good for the mind, body and soul… I can attest to that! These past two weeks have caused me to take a step back from my “storms”, and draw closer to the Lord. It is in His strength that I am able to do all things… He is with us at all times. We can call on Him for wisdom, strength, comfort, etc. in ANY moment and He is so faithful to provide just what we need and more. And for that I am sooo very GR8FUL!
Gr8fully Yours,
In my profession we look at it as hunting the good stuff and making it a habit to find something everyday, shoot for three, to be grateful or see the good in throughout your day. As someone who suffer from high performance anxiety it has become sich avaluable skill in order for me to remain resilient. I am happy to read that you are able to reflect on what was good rather than be consumed by what didn’t go as planned. Especially when it appears we may share a very similar trait of internally stressing.
Oooh I like that! “hunting the good stuff”. Sometimes that’s exactly what you have to do! Yes, I def internalize my stress… which is not a good thing…I really like the idea you shared and will be adding that to my list of strategies and ways to cope when challenges and storms come. Thank you so much for sharing! Thank you for the comment and for stopping by!! 🙂
This touched me in so many ways! It’s so hard for us to find balance in life, always seems like if it’s not one thing it’s another. Focusing on the bright side helps tremendously! Thank you for sharing!
Awww thank you so much! 🙂 Yes! It’s not always easy to look at the bright side of things… but I have found that the benefits of doing so far outweigh negativity that is so easy to focus on in the “storms”. Shifting my attitude and focus to one of gratitude has made a HUGE impact on how I view challenges that come! Thank you so much for the comment and for stopping by! 🙂