Stress and the times that are upon us

Today I realized how much time had slipped away and how remiss I had been in keeping up with my promised posts to my blog.  This is actually quite the crowning sin to me and I feel horrible about not keeping to my normal timelines.  Do I have an excuse?  Of course.  But the fact still remains that I should have continued my normal duties.
Today I turn the light to something on the more serious side of our lives now.  Stress.  I believe it to be a safe assumption that stress levels for all of us are, in all likelihood, manifesting themselves more than many of us can recall.  Be it jobs, the economy, wars, politicians, or any and all of the mix above, we're all paying the price for this more than we should.  Am I guilty of it?  Absolutely and completely no doubt.  Should I be succumbing to it?  I wouldn't be human if I didn't, but that doesn't make it any more acceptable.
Before I continue, I will say this.  I'm not going to allow this posting to wrap into any of the above topics regarding stress.  We all have our views on these things and to believe we agree with each other on every topic is laughable, at best.  We're humans, so of course we will have our differences and that's great.  That's what being a human is all about.  Instead, I want to spend a little time talking about the toll stress takes on us, our families and remind everyone that we need to avoid sinking under the weight.
For me, personally, I can say that I have seen myself drowning much more than I should be lately.  I have noticed it in my short temper, frustration at increased events and things around me that shouldn't make a difference, and most notably and regrettably, in causing me to be much more silent than usual around my family.  And not in a good way.  The eye opening realizations come when you realize that most of the words you say are nothing more than snapping at insignificant things.  Letting every little item cause you to get irritable.  And our families are usually the fastest to see this and the ones that have to tolerate it.
Over the past couple of days, I have come to understand my transgressions more than usual, meaning I have been oblivious and making excuses to let it slip by.  I know this isn't the right thing to do and I know that I shouldn't allow it to happen.  But it has and it's time to make amends.  Part of the realization that you have allowed yourself to succumb hopefully means you will also realize how and the need to fix the situation.
As for myself, I have been stressing over workload.  More to the point, the lack thereof.  Construction and anything associated lately is more feast or famine than usual and it can be absolutely maddening at times.  I admit this and I admit that I let it get to me much deeper that it should.  Is that to say we shouldn't worry about work and finances?  Of course not.  That would be ludicrous.  What it does mean is that we shouldn't slip and let this become the controlling issues in our lives.  It affects to many other things.
Recently, I noticed that even though work was slowing, I still felt tired and didn't have the drive to work on the small projects remaining.  Not a smart move.  I got them done on time, but not without heavily prodding myself.  As I worked through this I noticed something else.  My creativity.  More importantly, the lack thereof.  Allowing myself to drop had killed my drive and creativity, two things you need absolutely the most of in slow economic times, especially if you're self-employed.  Without those two primary items, failure can follow very close behind in short order.
So the first things I did was work on my drive, creativity and attitude towards my business (please, no lectures about how family should have been the first, I realize that entirely but I do go off of the necessity to provide).  So what did I do?  I made a bold step to first, create and start the implementation of my new advertising materials for my design studio.  That helped. A lot.  Seeing some work finally flowing from myself again that would not only hopefully yield more projects but forced me to think and learn new skills that I had forgotten was good for my soul.
Next, I took a brave step and started the implementation of my new consulting company.  Will it fly?  I don't know.  It's going to be hard work, but I believe the need and skills are there, so it's time to make the move.  I've prepared and actually performed my first seminar with some good, positive signs of interest.  This not only has helped my belief in the company, but also the belief in myself.  I had forgotten how good it was to know that even in bad times, you could still do good things.  So I'm moving forward as hard as I can with both companies with the determination to survive.
The next thing that I started working on was my personal attitude.  That's an important component and one that should not be ignored.  Without the correct attitude, you're a shell that everyone can see through.  Become positive again and doors start opening.  It feels like a weight is starting to come off my shoulders slowly with getting my head straight again.  And I believe the way I talk and act around people is very evident in relation to whether I am feeling positive or not.
Beyond that, I have to believe that things happen for a reason.  There have to be times of challenge.  Times to force yourself to move on, even though you don't want to.  Life simply cannot be easy all of the time.  The sooner you come to this realization, the better off you will be.
Overall, what can I say more than "lighten up".  Find your escape.  Use it.  For all it's worth.  For me, I'll sink back into my Jimmy Buffett songs, close my eyes and just shut the world out for awhile.  It works wonders.  Find your own inner peace and bring it back.  The sooner you do, the better of you'll be.
I apologize for the rambling and skipping around tonight.  Simply too many thoughts bouncing around in my head, but I hope I kept the point of this clear.  Turn off the news, forget about the outside world for awhile and concentrate on your family, friends and yourself.  Get your head straight and get moving again.