A Year of Blogging: November 9, 2011

November 9 was 'Chaos Never Dies' day. It's a day to acknowledge that there is always turmoil in your every day life. Maybe it's running errands, or deadlines, or just the routine of going to work. Right now, I feel like things are chaotic as I prepare for Christmas. Although my preparations are a bit early, as my parents are coming to visit for Thanksgiving. They are driving, which means I can send the NY gifts back with them. So I've been frantically shopping, wrapping, and let's not forget knitting to get everything done. I also want to have my house decorated for Christmas by the time they arrive, which just adds to my list. Yet, when I think about it, things always seem stressful. Last winter it was my Grandmother's illness, in the spring it was trying to get ready for Sydney's visit. In the summer I felt like I was always heading out on vacation or just returning from it. Now it's the holidays. I had a follow up with my primary care physician this week. We're trying to get my blood pressure down. It was pretty high in the office, and I said I'd had a bad day at the office, a very stressful day. I also told him the last month had been very stressful and I didn't check my blood pressure because I knew it would be high. He said 'But really, when does the stress ever end?' I realized he was right. The stressors may change, and the levels of stress may change, but there is always stress. There is always chaos of some type. Since we can't eliminate chaos, the trick is learning how to cope. Find some way of getting some order in your life. Even if it's something as simple as organizing your coupons in the binder. Or alphabetizing your DVD collection (or your books). It doesn't have to be anything big. Just a small step. Once you have control of one little thing, you'll be able to tackle something better. At the very least, it won't seem like everything is totally out of control!