Nic, this is a tough one.

I know what I attempt to do at home with Matt. Perhaps some ideas will bloom from there.

I try to prioritize my stress. That may sound crazy but it's really helpful. I ask myself, can I stress about this later? I shove it off if I can till I'm alone or it's more appropriate.

I will remove myself from the room. If I'm overwhelmed and it's about to spill over, I leave and go where I can be alone. If I need to cry, I cry. Shoot em up video's, whatever works for that moment to get back in control.

What is in my control that is stressing me? I try to find what the answer is to that. Then I break it down into steps for fixing it. Say.. I owe a bill but I am very short on cash. I will pay 10 bucks a month until it's paid. That way, I have a plan to fix it, even though it's going to take time. If they are suing me in the meantime, well that is out of my control. I just focus on my plan instead of the company's actions. (I know this sounds simple.. but when it piles up simple works well.)

I do something nice for myself. I buy this outrageous cost creamer for my coffee. It's my treat. I get to have it every morning. So with my first cup I already did something nice for myself that day (then I don't feel bad about not doing other nice things for myself later, or stressing about finances and cost cutting.. lol)

I think the big key is understanding what you do have control over and what you don't. Then taking care of what you can control and treating yourself well. Some of this works now, some over the long haul.

It's very difficult to shield someone from our stress. It affects us and therefore affects those that live with us. The best policy is trying to take care of ourselves first.

bec