Stress and other business

A lot of little stressors have been steamrolling lately into a big old ball of Stress. Sleep hasn't been good, work has been blah, the commute has been nightmarish, a needy colleague, TOM, and a new medication with some not so good side effects. 

What have I done to keep from letting things get to me?

• NOT giving in to cravings for salty chips, followed by a chocolate chaser
• Keeping my commitment to walk briskly every morning, even if it's -30C/-22F.
• Yoga or T'ai Chi in the evenings and some stretching at my desk during the day
• Preparing breakfast the night before so I save as much time as I can to walk in the mornings
• Talking, venting really, to my man and some friends
• Getting to bed early with a good book
• Breathing deeply

And above all, focusing on what I CAN change rather than what I can't.

• Sleep: Can't do anything about the quality, except no caffeine, but I have been able to improve the quantity by getting to bed earlier.
  
• Work: I do love my job, it's just everything can come flying in at once. I'm prioritizing and taking one task or project on at a time.
  
• Commute: Nothing I can do. Public transportation is the only way to get in and out of downtown. I'm currently reading a good book, so if I have to wait an extra 30 to 50 minutes then at least I'll be entertained.
  
• Needy colleague: Letting her know I got a lot on my plate right now and if she wants me to review her work, rather than disturbing me every hour we can schedule an block of time in the early afternoon instead.
  
• TOM: Well... he's predictable anyway.
  
• New Meds: Talked things over with my friendly neighbourhood pharmacist who reassured me the side-effects were not unusual, dizziness, headaches, dry mouth, ect., just that I'm getting them all. She recommended a few things to try to lessen them, but if to talk to my Doc if things get bad.

Weigh-in time: The scale has been up and down 5lbs with water retention since I last posted and has now settled these past two days at 190lbs. In view of this past week, that's a number I'll take.