Things That Make Me Happy

I’ve been past the stage of burn-out for over a month now and I need to shape up. First, I want to purge the stuff holed up in my pit. Just a little. Just to get it out of my system. –I started to write something about how others may handle my situation, but I’m not others. I’m working on not comparing myself to others. Here I purge.

The past few months at work have been the craziest it has ever been in my 2.5 years working for this company. I realized recently that the work itself is generally negative. It’s all about fixing people’s mistakes and my own. I work really hard to keep up my helpful, positive attitude with clients I work with. But hard work it is.

My husband tells me that I’m drawn to these “needy” type of jobs. It’s true. As I look at my past two jobs, I’ve had to clean up the mess that my predecessors left the company in. But besides that, they’ve been jobs where I have to “save the day” a lot, whether it’s my mistake or others’. Do I have this superhero complex? Maybe. The task of a hero really starts to wear a person down. I guess you could sort of say I know how Superman must feel.  Ok, perhaps I’m stretching it a little, but on my own scale of life, it makes perfect sense. Which is why I’m going to school to be a massage therapist. Um…to be yet another type of hero. Hmmm. I’m not going to even go there right now.

Back on track here. With my long days of work + school + taking in a new 9 year old as part of our family + still being a newleywed and developing that relationship + my guilt of all the things I don’t have time for… It’s all hit a peak and I don’t like where I’ve been these past few weeks and neither does my hubby. Truly, deeply, I’m a happy person, but I’ve burried it with stresses. Here’s my effort at working on an attitude adjustment. Finding joy in the journey. I’m pulling the goodies out from the bag of life to say hello again. Ten little things that make me happy on a day to day basis.

1. Music. Nothing else does what music does to my spirit. I take it with me everywhere, but I don’t listen when I need it most which is first thing in the morning. I’m going to listen to music to begin my days.

2.  Writing. It’s part of me. Has been as far back as I can remember. Sometimes it takes me a long time to finish a project so I put it off until I have time to give it my all. But when I don’t finish (and I often don’t) this only stretches out my anxiety of wanting to finish it. I will write something every day, even if it’s just a sentence, just to get in the habit of letting go of the anxiety.

3. Sense of Humor. I have a good one. Somewhere I learned to fear people. I’ve got to stop. That’s all there is to it.

4. Getting my hair done. As soon as that tax return comes, I’m heading to my pal Aimee’s for a new Do.

5. Sleep. A good amount. Until I finish school, I’m sleeping in longer. Who cares what my hair looks like or if I have makeup on?! Well, I do, but I don’t want to for the next 4 weeks left til graduation.

6. Friends. Call at least one a week. Sorry friends. I’ve sorely neglected you and I think it’s my biggest shame of all since starting school.

7. Giving gifts to my hubby. It’s one of his 5 love languages and I seem to have forgotten that.

8. Girls Time with my little girl. I’ve noticed lately the thrill that I get when Samantha and I spend time together outside of the house, just the two of us. I can see it in her face and sense it in her being. That’s it. It’s a weekly date!

9. Playing the piano. This might have something to do with #1, but it’s also therapy. Letting it all go on the black and whites. Sunday tradition? It shall be so.

10. Movies. I can’t think of a better way to fall asleep. With my hubby next to me, of course. It only takes me a few minutes, sometimes seconds, to fall asleep so it won’t be much of an inconvenience for the man in my bed.

A better, happier me, here I come!