@ElaineJ27I'm not suprised that you are an obliger - when I read through your posts, there are a lot of comments about the things you are doing for others in there! I'm glad, however, that you found it interesting and hopefully, with that understanding, you can put it some good use!
@Jan2512There are so many reasons why you could be feeling stress right now - it could be deferred hope, it could be something environmental like the amount of sun or pollen in the air, it could be that you haven't fully released some of the emotional turmoil you've been dealing with for what seems like a very long time. I believe that after covid, there's going to be a lot of emerging cases of ptsd. We still don't know what's ahead! Meanwhile, try incorporating some relaxation into every single day and also, allow yourself some space to really feel what you feel - indulge it a little. One of the things I miss about my old job was the amount of time I spent alone in the car. Especially when I went to Fort Wayne, IN, I had about 3 1/2 hours of a drive to and from the airport during which I would listen to country music and just cry - for no particular reason. It was very cathartic and I always felt like I had a great week after. Last week, I was feeling emotional and I felt like I didn't have a "space" where I could release that and longed for my long drives but since I don't have a paycheck right now, I can't afford the gas!
Anyway @Jan2512 I'm not sure if you have access to it but I really enjoy the Calm app. I think they offer a free week if you want to try it out first but by comparison, it's less than 50 cents US a day for a 1 year subscription and after using it for a year, I went with the lifetime subscription which was about the price of a year and a half. They have guided meditations on specific goals such as breathing, training your mind, love & relationships, confidence, soothing pain, mindfulness, managing stress and more as well as just a daily 10 minute guided meditation. They also have bedtime stories which I LOVE and used all the time when I was staying in hotels and still use now and then when I feel restless at night. My favorite is Anne of Green Gables and I also love the Ponies of Chincoteague! They also have numerous selections of nature sounds and soothing music. I use it from my iphone - not sure if you have a smart phone but I believe you can also run it through your computer.
@MargaretG139LOL, I have a funny story . . . my dad learned to drive in Michigan on a frozen lake. He went on to be a pilot with the Navy and also a flight instructor - a very patient and forgiving teacher with nerves of steel. He was the one who taught me to drive - first. Ultimately my high school also offered behind the wheel instruction but not to the depth of understanding my dad was aiming for. My birthday is late November and we were living in Pennsylvania when I turned 16. My dad had me at the school parking lot every weekend for months leading up to my birthday doing drills - racing around and trying to stop with a specific tire on a specific piece of trash and once it snowed, getting out to look and really noticing where each track of each tire was, practicing skidding and turning into it, etc. The one thing I didn't get was any highway practice or practice with other cars since I was still under age!
So, my birthday was actually on Thanksgiving that year and because my mom had gone back to school and had finals the very next week, we went to the Hershey Hotel for a combination birthday/Thanksgiving dinner - about 30 minutes away. My dad suggested I drive and he rode shotgun with me. My mom and sister were in the back seat. It was dark and snowing and I was super pumped to be so grown up. Unfortunately, when we arrived, finally, at our destination, my mom grabbed my dad (she was directly behind him) and said in a stage whisper "If she's driving home, I can't eat tonight!" So, my dad drove us home again. Today, my mom prefers me driving to either herself or my dad but it took a few months of highway experience for her to not get nauseated!
It snowed here starting in the wee hours of Sunday morning and continued on and off until the wee hours this morning. Right now it's sunny with blue sky and I can see what looks like melting off the basketball court behind my house. As pretty as it is, unfortunately, it wrecked my call schedule with clients for Monday and Tuesday and now I'm super stressed! Most offices and the schools were closed with my contacts either not working or taking the day to play with their kids and the other prospects - the handyman/plumber/roofer/hvac types have been super busy with an influx of calls and not available.
So, now, I need 2 things to happen really quickly. #1. If I secure two more contracts this week, I get another $1000 bonus and that would be fast - within 2 or 3 days of the 2nd sale. I won't go on and on about how much I really need that $1000 for my March expenses but suffice it to say my insurance is due as is my $785 "town tax" - both of which are annual expenses and not part of my usual monthly budget. So March is a hard month for me most years and my severance is just about gone. I believe this is the last week of that special "trainee" promotion so I get it or I don't period and I really, really want and need to get it. I still can but with only 3 days to do it instead of 5, the pressure is ON!
The 2nd thing I need is I am a total of 4 contracts away from going to print. I don't get paid until we go to print and there's a monthly deadline and a monthly paycheck - that's it. If I miss it, I miss it. If I get all 4 contracts before, I think, Valentine's Day, I go to print with a March edition and get an actual paycheck in March. Otherwise, doesn't matter what happens the rest of February, I don't get paid until April (unless absolutely nothing happens all month in which case I don't get paid until May.) If I could just get 2 or more contracts this week and 2 or more contracts next week, I'll be golden. No pressure or anything, but I really need that!
So, please, if you are a finger crosser or prayer sender or whatever way you send luck and good fortune, please send a little my way in the next 10 days. With a lot of effort on my part and a little more luck than I probably deserve, I might just be okay without having to dip into my "deep" savings in home equity or retirement accounts!
In other news, my parents got their first round of vaccine over the weekend so I am greatly relieved about that. I do see a light on at the end of the covid tunnel. Virginia cases are still quite high and there's been 2 cases of the South African strain reported just across the line in Maryland - so still part of our DC metro region. I look forward to one day seeing all of this in the rear view!
Stay safe and warm everyone who is snowbound!
