Dealing with Change

I realized recently that I'm in a unique time in my life - I think in your mid-thirties there can be a lot different changes happening. I have friends that are just getting married, some working on their second marriages and some that have been married more than 10 years. I have friends that are buying their first homes, many finally purchasing their dream homes and some buying their vacation homes. I have some that are pregnant with their first baby, some sending their kids to school for the first time and some with kids in middle school. I have some friends losing parents, I have some losing grandparents.

Change is inevitable and is certainly a growing experience - faced with it we certainly hope we can be strong. Too much of it can certainly be stressful and overwhelming. One of the hardest times in my own life was when I was dealing with a lot of change - and not all of it was bad change! The body sometimes just cannot handle a lot of it at once.

Throughout all the change, it's nice to have something to count on, some stability. Which is why, during that tough time in my life, when my body was virtually shutting down from too much stress and anxiety, a therapist asked me if I had a hobby. Now those of you who know me well, know that I've always had a hundred things that I'm doing at once. So, I figured in my busy life, I must have had a hobby in there somewhere. I didn't, but shortly after, scrapbooking came into my life. Not exactly what I call a coincidence.

Scrapbooking is not for everyone, but for me it was great medicine. It gave me something that was mine... Something I could control and something that would help me relax. I've had two friends take on scrapbooking because of a tremendous loss in their lives (both lost babies) and it helped them deal with the pain. I have a friend who is currently dealing with a lot of stress because she is dealing with a job change, an impending move and a sick parent. I have another friend who has a son with a brain tumor. On the other hand, I have a friend who just had her first long-awaited baby. And another who just got married to her long-time boyfriend. Change is inevitable. Stress is a part of that change. Life happens. I wish for you a hobby that is an outlet for the anxiety brought on by life.