- Sep 11, 2006
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Some people are like marker bouy's, happily bobbing right-side-up no matter how rough the ocean gets. God bless them.
As for the rest of us, who have some generalized anxiety, an unexpected small disaster can leave us looking like Bambi in the headlights if we aren't prepared.
I'm not even talking about the apocaplyse or a hurricane. I'm talking about incidents like
-unstaffed at work
-breakup
--car out of commission
-Tough classes at exam time
-Loved one in the hospital, not dying but not getting well very fast
stuff like that.
They don't sound like a big deal (most of them) but if they catch you off guard or you don't handle yourself properly during them, you wind up being a youtube sensation under the tagline "hilarious mental breakdown caught on camera"
JK about youtube. but seriously... you could really cause yourself some strife.
and maybe a few other people too.
On July 13, one of the tellers at my bank announced that he was going to move to Alabama. That would leave me and the other teller, which is manageable. 3 is better but we did this before and it would have been fine.
On July 20, one week after the other one said he was leaving, the other teller fell and broke her ankle real bad and the doctors said she would be out of commission for weeks.
That leaves just me. Oh thank goodness the loan officer can be a teller in an emergency. She's faithfully been back here with me on the teller line ever since.
But that means now there's only me, her and the boss when there should be 5 people. That means if it gets busy then try to work faster. If one of us gets sick? suck it up. Emergency at home? unless it's dire, too bad. Time off? hahahaha in your dreams. I work open to close, every day. we all do.
One year ago, I would not have been able to swallow the thought of dealing with understaffed work for so long without having a total "throw up my hands and quit" fit.
As soon as I knew about it, I devised a plan. Mine had some steps that only apply to me, but below are 10 essential ones if you are anxiety prone and you have something challenging ahead.
1) I talked to my husband at length and made it clear that I was going to be a little frazzled and he needed to help me out when I asked for help. Don't leave me a million projects to do when I get home, don't start fights, and a little extra TLC if he has the time.
The first step is notifying those around you that you live with and love to be extra kind and not pressure you.
2) I made crock pot meals and did all the food work on the weekend. For me this works. It depends on your situation, but the next best step is to plan ahead for good healthy meals and during your time off, set them up and put them in the freezer so they are ready to go when you need them. no fast food, no going hungry and no harassing everyone else to get it done.
3) Take time for you! if you have it.... if your storm is the loved one in the hospital or something like that, it might be hard to manage. But if it's something like the understaffed work or the exam week, then as soon as there's free time, take ME TIME. Don't plan a girls night out, a date, a party, a family gathering, anything until you've taken time to soak in the tub surrounded by candles, listen to soft music, sip wine, eat gourmet chocolate, walk on the beach, pray, and take a nap.
or whatever your heart desires. if it's movies and videogames, that's fine to a point but really you need time without media and screens in your face. just quiet time with God and yourself.
4) Don't feel bad saying No. You need to know your limits. Several times in this past month, I've made my allergist and counselor appointments and then people wanted me to go to church functions on the other nights after work. I picked ONE and politely declined the others. I need 1-2 nights a week just to come home and rest, not be going somewhere. I will actually be keeping it that way after things go back to normal. If you're going through a thing and everyone's tugging on your sleeves to come hang out with them or let them show you a good time (maybe in the case of getting over a death or a breakup), don't be ashamed to say NO. it's not taking them for granted, it's giving yourself space and time to unwind.
5) Do what feels right. Be careful with this one... it can get misinterpreted. In no way am I encouraging you to get a dangerous hobby or cheat on someone.
I am just suggesting that if you have some time to yourself, and you really aren't feeling like doing this particular thing, even though it's logical or it's what you've always done... don't. do what your heart desires. within reason. Normally I go home after work, talk to my husband, walk with him and the dog, eat dinner, and then settle in for devo's and tv. Every so often, I'm just not feeling this routine.
So we go on a little mini adventure and walk on the beach instead. or I go to my favorite store, Target, on the way home from work. If I'm feeling too tired to go out anywhere? I just stay home and don't break my routine.
If you force yourself into or out of a certain routine when you're already stressed out, even if it's a "logical" routine to have, it can sometimes make the stress even worse.
6) This really should have been No.1 : Talk to God! Talk to God all day, all night. Write a journal of prayers. pray anytime something is on your mind. God is the only one who can get you through it. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Phil 4:13
7) Boost your immunity and your energy. This one may be hardest. when you're running around dealing with something difficult you may not be hungry or you may crave junk food. you might only think you have time for a drive-through window. This is why the crock pot meals was an essential step. Make sure to write down somewhere you'll see it and remember it daily: take your vitamins. take your supplements like echinacea and B vitamins. eat vegetables for snacks like carrots and celery. eat protein. don't fall back on sugary snacks. don't skip meals. you need your strength, immunity and energy now more than ever.
8) Get sleep. Get 7 or 8 hours if you can. take naps if you can't. try to maintain your circadian rythms if at all possible.... go to bed at the same time, get up at the same time. take your nap at the same time. don't drink coffee after 2 unless it's decaf. if there's people in the house who make noise and stay up late, talk to them about being quieter at least until this is over.
9) Stay away from alcohol. Have a glass of wine with dinner, but don't go out till 1am at the bars. getting wasted. and getting a hangover. blah. just don't do it.
10) Get a mentor, a counselor and/or a good devotional. If it's something particularly long and stressful or even traumatizing, you might do well to have a good friend or even a licensed counselor to talk to about it. If you don't have someone, a good devotional can help too. There are several out there for weathering storms and healing. In fact, if you have the youversion bible app in your phone, there's some you can do for free on there. each day, they give you a few verses to study about Jesus healing someone and God seeing someone through a tough time. it's encouraging and uplifting.
Blessings on weathering your next drama-filled storm!
As for the rest of us, who have some generalized anxiety, an unexpected small disaster can leave us looking like Bambi in the headlights if we aren't prepared.
I'm not even talking about the apocaplyse or a hurricane. I'm talking about incidents like
-unstaffed at work
-breakup
--car out of commission
-Tough classes at exam time
-Loved one in the hospital, not dying but not getting well very fast
stuff like that.
They don't sound like a big deal (most of them) but if they catch you off guard or you don't handle yourself properly during them, you wind up being a youtube sensation under the tagline "hilarious mental breakdown caught on camera"
JK about youtube. but seriously... you could really cause yourself some strife.
and maybe a few other people too.
On July 13, one of the tellers at my bank announced that he was going to move to Alabama. That would leave me and the other teller, which is manageable. 3 is better but we did this before and it would have been fine.
On July 20, one week after the other one said he was leaving, the other teller fell and broke her ankle real bad and the doctors said she would be out of commission for weeks.
That leaves just me. Oh thank goodness the loan officer can be a teller in an emergency. She's faithfully been back here with me on the teller line ever since.
But that means now there's only me, her and the boss when there should be 5 people. That means if it gets busy then try to work faster. If one of us gets sick? suck it up. Emergency at home? unless it's dire, too bad. Time off? hahahaha in your dreams. I work open to close, every day. we all do.
One year ago, I would not have been able to swallow the thought of dealing with understaffed work for so long without having a total "throw up my hands and quit" fit.
As soon as I knew about it, I devised a plan. Mine had some steps that only apply to me, but below are 10 essential ones if you are anxiety prone and you have something challenging ahead.
1) I talked to my husband at length and made it clear that I was going to be a little frazzled and he needed to help me out when I asked for help. Don't leave me a million projects to do when I get home, don't start fights, and a little extra TLC if he has the time.
The first step is notifying those around you that you live with and love to be extra kind and not pressure you.
2) I made crock pot meals and did all the food work on the weekend. For me this works. It depends on your situation, but the next best step is to plan ahead for good healthy meals and during your time off, set them up and put them in the freezer so they are ready to go when you need them. no fast food, no going hungry and no harassing everyone else to get it done.
3) Take time for you! if you have it.... if your storm is the loved one in the hospital or something like that, it might be hard to manage. But if it's something like the understaffed work or the exam week, then as soon as there's free time, take ME TIME. Don't plan a girls night out, a date, a party, a family gathering, anything until you've taken time to soak in the tub surrounded by candles, listen to soft music, sip wine, eat gourmet chocolate, walk on the beach, pray, and take a nap.
or whatever your heart desires. if it's movies and videogames, that's fine to a point but really you need time without media and screens in your face. just quiet time with God and yourself.
4) Don't feel bad saying No. You need to know your limits. Several times in this past month, I've made my allergist and counselor appointments and then people wanted me to go to church functions on the other nights after work. I picked ONE and politely declined the others. I need 1-2 nights a week just to come home and rest, not be going somewhere. I will actually be keeping it that way after things go back to normal. If you're going through a thing and everyone's tugging on your sleeves to come hang out with them or let them show you a good time (maybe in the case of getting over a death or a breakup), don't be ashamed to say NO. it's not taking them for granted, it's giving yourself space and time to unwind.
5) Do what feels right. Be careful with this one... it can get misinterpreted. In no way am I encouraging you to get a dangerous hobby or cheat on someone.
I am just suggesting that if you have some time to yourself, and you really aren't feeling like doing this particular thing, even though it's logical or it's what you've always done... don't. do what your heart desires. within reason. Normally I go home after work, talk to my husband, walk with him and the dog, eat dinner, and then settle in for devo's and tv. Every so often, I'm just not feeling this routine.
So we go on a little mini adventure and walk on the beach instead. or I go to my favorite store, Target, on the way home from work. If I'm feeling too tired to go out anywhere? I just stay home and don't break my routine.
If you force yourself into or out of a certain routine when you're already stressed out, even if it's a "logical" routine to have, it can sometimes make the stress even worse.
6) This really should have been No.1 : Talk to God! Talk to God all day, all night. Write a journal of prayers. pray anytime something is on your mind. God is the only one who can get you through it. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Phil 4:13
7) Boost your immunity and your energy. This one may be hardest. when you're running around dealing with something difficult you may not be hungry or you may crave junk food. you might only think you have time for a drive-through window. This is why the crock pot meals was an essential step. Make sure to write down somewhere you'll see it and remember it daily: take your vitamins. take your supplements like echinacea and B vitamins. eat vegetables for snacks like carrots and celery. eat protein. don't fall back on sugary snacks. don't skip meals. you need your strength, immunity and energy now more than ever.
8) Get sleep. Get 7 or 8 hours if you can. take naps if you can't. try to maintain your circadian rythms if at all possible.... go to bed at the same time, get up at the same time. take your nap at the same time. don't drink coffee after 2 unless it's decaf. if there's people in the house who make noise and stay up late, talk to them about being quieter at least until this is over.
9) Stay away from alcohol. Have a glass of wine with dinner, but don't go out till 1am at the bars. getting wasted. and getting a hangover. blah. just don't do it.
10) Get a mentor, a counselor and/or a good devotional. If it's something particularly long and stressful or even traumatizing, you might do well to have a good friend or even a licensed counselor to talk to about it. If you don't have someone, a good devotional can help too. There are several out there for weathering storms and healing. In fact, if you have the youversion bible app in your phone, there's some you can do for free on there. each day, they give you a few verses to study about Jesus healing someone and God seeing someone through a tough time. it's encouraging and uplifting.
Blessings on weathering your next drama-filled storm!
