Stress

    The bad thing about stress, well honestly I can't say that their are any good things about stress. At least I don't know of any. But I am noticing and seeing the bad things stress does. It makes you tired. Completely worn out and exhausted; emotionally, mentally, and physically. You can't function on a normal basis. You lose your patience, appetite, snap easily at others, you have meltdowns, your body is affected, etc.
     At the museum today we saw mice and I noticed they had the tips of their tails cut off. When I asked what happened the guy told me that one of the mice did that. That's what it did due to stress. All mice react to stress badly, some chew their ears, hair, tails, etc. Not just theirs but of the other mice with them. He said that it doesn't take much to stress out a mouse. I realized that people are like that too. We stress then "chew" the people around us out. I've noticed it even in my own family the last few weeks. The stress starts to get to us then peaks. It's terrible. We've been fussing with and at each other, not talking as kindly as we normally do, losing patience with one another, having meltdowns, etc. All that adds even more stress. The stress, plus lack of sleep, plus worrying, plus all the normal day to day stuff all add up.
     But, thankfully, we aren't mice. We can asses a situation and make it better. We can change how we adapt to stress, how we deal with it, find other ways to release the stress, to unwind, to "take a break," to cope, to recharge. We've been having to do that these past few days. We're not even halfway thru this process yet (we have nine more months to go, at least) and we can't let stress ruin our lives. Or take away the joy and peace that our home has. We have to find new ways to live and strive in the midst of all this stress and chaos. Because at the end of this lengthening journey we want to look back and be proud not only of what was accomplished physically, but as a family. I'm so thankful to have Josh by my side. He's amazing, calm, giving, loving and keeps me headed in the right direction. I'm thankful for Lidie and her tender heart, she keeps me laughing and reminds me to be gentle. I'm thankful for Amaya, she shows me the true meaning of perseverance and strength. I have much to learn from this family of mine, much.