Nibbling my Nails

I bite my nails. I always have, but especially when I feel stressed or overwhelmed. As you may have discerned, I have been nibbling my nails quite a bit recently.

My stressed out feeling started last week and has now built to a constant knot in my chest and stomach. I tend to burn the candle at both ends, and I really did so last week. Feeding my addiction to the Twilight series, I stayed up late every night reading Breaking Dawn. Then since I burned the midnight oil each evening, I couldn't drag myself out of bed to write at 5:30 in the morning. I know it sounds crazy, but early morning with my cup of hot tea and an absolutely quiet house is my most creative time of day. Not completing any work before the kids got up and moving each day last week made me feel like I was behind the eight ball all day every day.

Near the end of the last week, I finally figured out why I felt so out of sorts. My husband wasn't home. Thankfully, Patrick started a new job two weeks ago, and he was out of town all last week. When Patrick was previously home during the day, he frequently transported the kids to their afternoon activities, and I gained a few hours to write or enjoy some time for myself. With my husband, thankfully, back at work, I lost that time and have now been rushing out the door again mid-afternoon each day to piano lessons and soccer practices.

To make up for the chaotic week and help relieve my stress, my family gave me the biggest treat possible on Friday night- time to myself. Car Guy and his dad were going to a Cub Scout Camp-In at an area science museum, so my fabulous parents invited Curly Girl to spend the night with them. Yes, I had 18 entire hours all to myself. Admittedly, I just reheated some leftover Sir Pizza and worked until about 11pm, but I got to do so completely by myself and in total peace and quiet. Fourteen years of marriage and two kids later it doesn't take very much to make me happy. I'm pretty low maintenance these days.

Now that my Friday night solitude buzz has worn off, however, I am searching for more ways to destress, and preferably methods that don't involve food. I have been absolutely craving chocolate for the past week and have depleted all of my willpower resisting it. Over the past few days, it was all I could do not to bake a batch of brownies or visit Bruster's for a peanut butter cup sundae (one of my absolutely favorite things in the world- I loooove the combination of peanut butter cups and peanut butter sauce - yum!).

I really need destressing ideas that I can and will actually do. As much as I would love a night out at my favorite restaurant experience, fondue at The Melting Pot, it just isn't in the budget at the moment. I'm also not a bubble bath person- too much sitting still for too long. I have tried and heartily recommend the long, hot shower as stress release approach, though. For now, I'm going to go sack out in my massage chair while I watch "Dancing With the Stars." I know the show is cheesy, but I love it. It allows me to relive my teenage dancing days, while reminding me to add "ballroom dance lessons" to my life list.