No, I haven’t forgotten about you. I’ve just been ridiculously busy so far this year. We’ve had something to do almost every weekend since the beginning of the year, including a trip to California for my birthday (which was AWESOME and I will try to post about it later), a bachelorette party in Biloxi (wedding is this weekend!), a change to HOLD A PENGUIN (!!!!!!!!!), and so much more… We’ll probably be booked until after April. I’m already running on next to no sleep, so two more months shouldn’t be that bad.
Not only have my weekends been crazy, but work has been over-the-top busy. As I mentioned in my first post (I think), I’m a paralegal at a growing law firm. I’m down to working for 3 attorneys from 5, but the workload hasn’t changed much. There are many days where I just want to sneak off to the bathroom and cry for a while, while stuffing my face with the candy I have hidden in my desk for those mid-day sugar boosts (not the most healthy, but junk food helps me cope, damn it!)
Anyway, when things get most stressful, I have two little things that I think about. First is the serenity prayer. I don’t know that I’ve mentioned it before, but I feel like I have a severe anxiety problem and need to be in control all the time. This definitely adds to my stress as I know I can’t do everything myself (I don’t always believe it, even though I know it.). I find the Serenity Prayer works wonders to calm me down when I’m stressed about something I can’t control. I’ve even printed it out for the hubby, and he’s thinking about getting it tattooed on him to remind him that he can’t make everything the way he wants it and not to get angry about things he can’t control.
The second thing I think about is this:
I’m one of those annoying workers that tries to give 100% on everything. I will take extra time to try and help someone, even if it’s not part of my job. Unfortunately, not everyone does this. There are people in every work place that stick to the bare minimum they can get away with. The ones do what’s in their job description to the letter. The ones who argue anytime someone asks them to do one little extra thing. I’ve had them in every job, so it’s nothing particular to the law firm I’m at. It still causes me an extreme amount of stress when I get behind on my own work because I take the time to do something that someone else doesn’t feel it’s in their job description to do. It’s not in my job description either, but it’s got to be done!
When I get angry at someone and think about all the extra work I’m doing, I look at the above phrase (which I have hanging in my little cubicle). It reminds me that it will be worth it at some point. I’ve become involved in so many aspects of my office (in all jobs that I’ve had) that I really become hard to replace. I’ve gotten raises/promotions at every job I’ve had, and I think it has a lot to do with this. No matter how stressful my day gets, it will all be worth it eventually.
Anyway, those are two ways I try to handle all the stress in my life. If anyone else has little tricks to help them get through the day, I’d be more than happy to hear them!
Miscellaneous Wifey 