Dealing With Stress

First, a disclaimer: I've never dealt with stress well. Stress management has always been a downfall for me. Although I've improved by leaps and bounds since high school and college, I still seem to let life's stresses affect those I am closest to. I hate it! And thought I've progressed over time, it still seems to hurt those I love and care about. How do I change this?

I know there are a couple things I can do right off the bat. First, I need to change what I do with my alone time. I need to learn to cherish this time and use it to re-energize myself, rather than sit in front of the one-eyed monster (otherwise known as the television). Second, I really need to start spending more time with girlfriends, as it is probably the pastime miss most. And third, I need to change the living situation, as I don't feel like I have anywhere to call home at this point in my life (which often adversely affects the previous two items needing change).

So there you have it. These things need to become a priority, not only because I need to deal with stress better, but because I want to remember my engagement as a happy time, not as a time when I let a lot of stress adversely affect the love of my life! And the funniest part about all this, the wedding is probably the one thing keeping me most sane - I find the planning to be a fun outlet for my creativity. Looks like some of the other areas of my life need to follow suit!