"Wide-Eyed and Mystified"

Have you ever had those nights where you just can't get to sleep no matter how hard you try or how tired you are? Well tonight is one of those nights for me and I decided to just write. It is August 12th, 2016 at 3:28 AM. I just came back from hanging out with my good friend Chris and Dakota. I met Dakota at my first ever church home and I met Chris on the school bus in elementary school. Basically, Dakota and Chris have been childhood friends but we never were as close as we are now until we all had third period together in our senior year of High School.

I never liked school. Grade school, that is. When I graduated High School, I went off to a christian college in Central Florida and even though the work seemed easier, I still wasn't quite sure I liked school then. Not because of the teachers and not because of the new friends I had created but because I was a little home sick. I started a job about a month ago, which is going fantastic by the way. Since then, I have not had a day off. Yes, I've psychically had a day off from work but outside of work, I've payed bills, I've mowed lawns, I've helped with school work and have traveled for personal reasons but not one day has been used to relax and have a night out with my boys.

To me, riding in a vehicle going nowhere but in circles is very comforting and relieving. Especially at night, when not a lot of people are out, the roads are open and we are free. Chris, Dakota and I had been so busy over the last year with work and school that the three of us had not spent an evening together just to ride and have a good time like the days after our High School graduation.

What stresses you out? What makes you feel like everything is crashing on top of you? I could share a list of my stress-igniters:

Malls maxed out with people

Two or more people talking to me at once

Unclean object such as sinks or utensils

Having to rush a certain task

It all boils down to the situation with me. If I'm bumping shoulders with people at the mall, I will have a weird panic attack but when I'm at the Daytona 500 with 100,000 more people, I'm content, happy and excited. If I'm having to hurry and finish what I'm doing just because someone is being impatient with me or we're in a high-pressure situation, I will spazz out and give up what I'm doing but if I'm hurrying a task so I can go see a live musical concert or am about to go travel, I will gladly do the task with excitement and anticipation.

When I am stressed out though, I write and I talk. I love to talk about my situations with my friends, Chris and Dakota. They always have some of the best insight for me. How do you handle your crazed situations? When you're stressed, is it just the place you're in or the people around you? Well, here's how to handle it.

Surround yourself with positive. Make new friends and stay friends with your childhood neighbors. Do what makes you happy. Be creative and think outside the box. Go on adventures and try new things. You never know what you will discover about yourself. Most importantly, give it to God. We're only human.

Oh, the thing about Dakota and Chris? They are always right there for me; Day-in and day-out. Do you have support like that?

#Friends #Anxiety #Stress #Hang