If thriving on the adrenalin of being under the pump, surviving on four hours sleep, saying yes to requests for help, are signs of being a stress junkie; then this is me.
My stress optimum performance relationship goes way back to my High School days. At 15, I started an after school job as a deli girl. I could work up to 25 hours some weeks and while the money was great the effect on my homework was amazing. The less time I had available for homework, the better the results. I discovered the benefits of time management and multi tasking at this young age. I was able to plan a project while slicing ham, write an essay during my tea break, and revise for exams while wrapping cheese.
Obviously I put myself in this situation not just out of necessity but also for the buzz. Why else would I have decided to get married while working full time, attending uni part time and building a house? It was sheer madness but it was fabulous. While most brides treat themselves to a few days of luxury in the days prior to their wedding, I spent the day prior to our wedding penning a 10,000 word essay, packing the tent (we spent our honeymoon camping) and looking for nail polish, lipstick and shoes.
And while the whole new mother thing should have been enough stress to give me a long term buzz I added cloth nappies, making my own bread and a curly coated border collie to the mix. My mornings were a whirlwind of nappy buckets, flour and vacuuming and somehow both Sons learnt to talk, walk and toilet train amongst all of this.
However there have been times when stress has been damaging. In the dark days of working at WP my life had become a tornado. While I had developed some strategies to juggle home and work, such as walking the dog at 5am, doing Son’s readers during the school run and speed shopping during my lunch time, things were spiralling out of control. In true junkie fashion, I ignored the offers of help, and when Mum suggested taking some of the ironing, I smuggled it out of the house and travelled with it in the boot of my car. As the dark side of stress took control, the smallest issue could be enough to tip me over the edge (crumbs on the floor or a sniffing nose). Some innocent call centre operator copped the full barrage when they called me about mobile phone plans one evening.
But there was a lifeline. It came in the form of our relocation to the UK. The dark side of stress was lifted from my shoulders and a new stress buzz was waiting. I had four weeks to pack, complete all unfinished projects (one entire room not even plastered), paint the house, install a sprinkler system, complete the landscaping, find tenants, sell two cars, re home two guinea pigs and two budgies and transport the dog. Not wanting to be completely self-indulgent, I generously shared this stress buzz with Mum and Dad. Husband missed out as he was already in the UK.
Today, having recognised that I am in fact a stress junkie I feel better equipped to manage and enjoy the buzz of stress. Sons do their best to offer a little stress taster every day and Husband surprises me with unexpected stress treats (lost golf clubs on a recent trip to Portugal springs to mind). But like any true junkie, I just can’t wait for the next big stress buzz – Christmas!
