Many people living in one day at a time recovery learn how to live with irritating stress that is frustrating. We call this exasperating stress. Sounds smothering doesn’t it? This is the kind of stress that leaves us crying in the bathroom during our fifteen minute break at work just so we can try and hold it together so we can get a paycheck at the end of the week. Exasperating stress is stress that continues and continues. It happens when we have to choose between heating our homes or having food to eat. It happens after we put the kids to bed and we scream into our dish towel because we just can’t take it anymore. Just thinking about it makes me want to weep. It’s the cause of “stress leave” and hospitalizations. When this is happening others need to understand that we’ve done “the suck it up princess” thing long enough and we need to get a break. Government, work-places, and people, many people, are starting to understand this. We don’t have to punch walls because we just can’t take it anymore. We don’t have to blow up at our significant others creating turmoil and fear in our homes. The way we live with exasperating stress is we reach out for help (often professional help). When we do so we realize we are not alone and we find new hope and new breath. Very often we will find support in places that we would have never imagined it would be. People who lived with, or live with exasperating stress, often meet in groups that help us to live with anxiety. Some of us meet over decaf or at the gym. Some of us walk together. We also meet in faith gatherings or at 12 step meetings. Peace.
