Managing My Stress These Days!

Oh wow, these days it has been crazy busy in my life, and I am paying for it. I find myself running to the bathroom more often because I have so much on my plate so far. 

My heavy plate

I am a teacher in the inner-city, and trying to finish out the year is very difficult.  I have many tasks such as testing students on their reading levels, and clearing out my classroom to get done.  I find myself constantly having to excuse myself from class to make it to the bathroom.  Next year I am switching schools, which will bring a whole new bag of stress, but I will cross that bridge when I get there.

The other things that are stressing me out is the fact that my fiancé’s shower is this weekend.  Even though it’s really not for me directly, I still have to make an appearance and figure out the logistics.  I find that there are not enough hours in the day and I am up late finishing tasks.  I know that getting a balanced sleep each night is important and can help to stop flare ups.

I teach a course to new teachers for the school district.  This week is the last week of the course, so preparing my lecture notes on top of making sure my grades were entered into the district has been overbearing.

How I'm coping

To make sure that I optimize my time, and to keep my stress level down, I am forcing myself to exercise every day.  I am not talking a hard run or lifting weights.  It can be as simple as a short walk around my apartment complex.  It has to be an activity that gets my heart rate up, and gets my mind off of work.  I also will make sure that I read each night before going to sleep.  This goal can be as simple as one page a night.

I really do not want to increase my medication. I want to be able to handle my stress on my own, and work through this flare up.  I find that if I can calm myself down, and work through it, it should go away.

Fast Forward

A few days into my “stress free” mood, It has been going pretty well.  I am making sure that I am reading each night, and taking walks.  Since I was flying home from Oklahoma City on Monday, I did my exercise in the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport where I was connecting.  Do I see a difference?  Yes, I am sleeping better and my bowel frequency is getting back to normal.

I know that after the school year, things will calm down for me.  I will be traveling for vacation and then I start my favorite job of the year, camp!

Stress is evil and can effect our stomachs.  Remember our stomach is a muscle and it tenses with stress.  I am keeping in mind the hard work that I put in to get me to this day.  Without the CCFA and Health Union, I wouldn’t be the IBD patient that I am today.  Keep the stress low and the hopes high.