Striving for emotional health

They say you should learn to recognize signs your body and mind may be giving you when they want to tell you that you are stressed. If my 2-month eye twitch is any indication, then yes, I may be slightly stressed. It comes and goes, but most of it is to do with work and wanting to get things resolved so that I can get back to kicking the trash out of one job rather than eye-twitching my way through two. Is that so much to ask?

Yesterday was a long 12-hour day wherein I oversaw the library's employee/substitutes/volunteer Christmas party. It was a lot of fun but I'm kind of exhausted and getting slightly cranky. Also I have a cold, which turns me into the biggest whiny baby alive. I can just see me, years from now, forcing my small children to bring me orange juice and chicken soup and my down comforter because Mommy is sick and cannot possibly parent today.

I realized, however, that I might be getting near the end of the rope when my inability to locate the frozen juice section at the grocery store this morning had me dropping mental F-bombs. Because really? The F-word? Over juice? That does not seem right.

There were a few grocery store moments, though, which re-affirmed my faith in tiny miracles. I hate buying spices at the grocery store. I hate it because they all cost about $8,000 and you just know that someone is getting a better deal at a dollar store or World Market or spice plantation somewhere but you don't have the time to go find that better deal because you're making wassail for tonight, tonight! And then you hate yourself for sucking and you hate McCormick for sucking even MORE. I had to buy a brick-sized container of cinnamon sticks for $5.99 even though I only needed one. But it was almost the same price as the tiny McCormick jar and I just couldn't give them the satisfaction. So does anyone need some cinnamon sticks?

Here is where the miracles come in. I found whole cloves for $1.69. I picked up the tiny container and whispered, "I honor you." And then I gave the $5.99 McCormick cloves the Eyebrow and a French pfffffft. Suckaaaahs. In the frozen juice aisle, where I was looking for both orange juice and pineapple juice, I found orange-pineapple juice. Lovely. Lovely, beautiful, faith-in-human-race-affirming moments.

Also, I'm sensing a sick day coming up reeeeal soon. Anyone out there have any good stress-managing techniques that do not involve running away from your job or telling people to go screw themselves?

cinnamon sticks image by Mika

Posted in: on my crap list,The Eyebrow