I never did like roller coasters...

I love the adrenaline (loved skydiving, white water rafting and rappelling!), I just always hated the feeling of my stomach flip-flopping up and down.

And since January, it seems as if my life and emotions are a non-stop roller coaster ride. Intellectually, I know the economy is in terrible shape. I know that there are so many people who have been laid off and are struggling to find work just like me. I know that it has nothing to do with me, personally. But emotionally, it is incredibly frustrating!

I have days when I am filled with energy and optimism and I have days when I feel worthless. I have days when I feel inspired and creative and get so many things accomplished. And the next day I may sit on the couch watching tv all day. Thankfully, as the weather gets nicer, and the sunshine pours through the windows, I seem to have more good days than bad.

But it continues to be a roller coaster ride. I had so many plans for the next few years of my life, and of my marriage. I'm a planner by nature, so knowing that those plans are now off track, at times brings me to tears. I'm not the kind of person who easily takes each day as it comes, though I am trying.

I believe that everything happens for a reason, but at the same time it's hard to let go of the control and not know what that reason is. Most days, what keeps me going is something that my dad always says:

You just have to do the best you can
with what you've got every day.

So whether I'm feeling optimistic and inspired, or frustrated and sad, I continue to do the best I can on this roller coaster that is my life. And boy is it a wild ride...

Mental Health Day

When I was little, my dad used to let us have "Mental Health Days" once in a while. Now don't get me wrong, by "once in a while" I don't mean like once a month, they were rare occasions. Once, I remember, he took us skiing. Other times I just stayed home from school "sick" even though I wasn't really sick. As a kid I don't think I always really needed them, but I think the idea behind them was a good life lesson. They taught me that taking care of myself mentally is just as important as taking care of myself physically. And if that means taking a day off every now and then, that's ok.

As I've gotten older, I've found "Mental Health Days" even more necessary in my life. I try not to take advantage of them and take them too often because I do have responsibilities, but they are extremely helpful to "recharge your batteries" as my dad would say. (As a side note, my dad has a whole bunch of sayings. I'm working on collecting them in one place and plan to write an entry on them. Some of them he got from my grandpa, which my dad and uncles lovingly refer to as Dave-isms, but he has plenty of his own. So keep an eye out for an entry on Bruce-isms, hopefully in the near future.)

Anyway, I needed a "Mental Health Day" yesterday and I set some rules for myself. I didn't think about money, losing my job next week, my hubby trying to find a new job, or anything that's been causing me stress lately. I hugged and kissed and talked with my husband. We cleaned up a little bit around the apartment, watched some tv and I knitted like crazy on the baby blanket that I still haven't finished! It was exactly what I needed.

I find that I'm so busy and tired during the week, that weekends are even busier doing all the personal things I wish I could accomplish during the week. To have a day to decompress and relax was just what I needed to feel a little bit more positive again. So now it's Friday! I feel much better and it will soon be the weekend. My parents are coming to visit so that will be nice. Although I think we're going to the mall so that will probably bring my stress level right back up!

Hope you all have a nice weekend!