Hi Everyone,
As a person
living with chronic illness, I get asked this question a lot. Living with a
chronic illness is a full-time job. On top of that, you have to include life
and all that life brings to the table: a husband, kids, friends, family and
also work. With all of those things going on in one's life, how do we
decompress? What do we do in our lives that helps us from jumping off the edge
of our house? Well, anyone who knows me well knows that my biggest stress
reliever is the beach. I am lucky enough to have a husband who loves me and
understands that after 55 hospitalizations and 20 surgeries over the last 25
years, I have to be able to decompress. If I didn’t, the result would be
devastating for me and my family.
So, each year
for the last twelve years, my husband has rented a beach house in June for me to stay.
I have never quite been able to put into words what that beach house get-away means
to me. The closest thing I can say about being there is that it rejuvenates my
soul. Sitting on my beach chair, staring out at the water, enables me to put
everything into perspective. I can take long looks at my life and be reminded
of all the wonderful things that I have in my life. It reminds me that every
day is a blessing. (And who doesn't need to be reminded of that from time to
time?) I often say that I wish I could live there, to be able to have that
feeling of contentment each day. What could be better? But, my husband reminds
me that I would never get anything done. I would sit in my beach chair all day
and ponder about having a great life instead of living one. I know he's right,
but still…
What I wanted
to accomplish by sharing this story with you is to remind you that no matter
what is going on in your life, you have to learn to decompress. You can achieve
that goal in many different ways. Each person needs to figure out what works
best for them. Although I look forward
to my beach trip every year, and being there does alleviate a lot of problems,
I still have to deal with those everyday stresses too. For those times in-between
my beach days, I do a few different things to help with the stress. I have to
say that aside from the beach, rubber stamping and scrapbooking are my
favorite! When I start to feel a little overwhelmed, I go into my studio, pull
out supplies, and I either work on a project or I play. And in no time at all,
I'm feeling better and more relaxed. So, the next time life seems to be too
much, pull out those craft supplies and play. You'll be smelling the salty
beach air in no time. I know I do!
Thanks for
joining me. Until next time…
Crafty hugs,
Lisa
Stampin’ Queen Creations
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