Question of the Week: How Do You Handle the Crap That Comes Your Way?

Image by maximolly via Flickr Is it just me, or is the world going to hell in a handbasket?

It seems like it's just been one thing after another for me since about the middle of March. One bad thing after another that is. Over the last two months, the rule of the day has been If something can go wrong, it will.

It's so bad I've resorted to speaking in clichés!

In all seriousness, I've got way too much stress in my life right now. I keep thinking to myself don't get sucked up into other people's drama. I now realize that is incredibly hard to do when people are going out of their way to cause problems for you--problems that can't be ignored and require some action on your part.

To add insult to injury, my support system has been less empathetic and responsive to my needs. This has added a whole other layer of stress, because now I am feeling both attacked and unsupported.

It leaves me wondering when all this madness is going to to the end.

Last week I realized that I needed to do more to manage my stress after I was so upset that I threw and broke something out of sheer frustration. So I decided to devote the month of May to meditating more and stressing less. I've also increased the frequency in which I asked for the Universe's help. And since this stress won't be going away for a while, I've decided that periodically retreating to my "girl grotto" isn't such a bad idea either.

Ironically, an e-mail I received today contained the most support I've gotten in the past two months:

The reason for all the challenges, Selena, is so that you can finally learn that none are bigger than you. None. Ever.
~The Universe

It's strange how oddly comforting those words were to me. I'm still a little miffed that the Universe has picked this particular time to bombard me with challenges, but then again there really is no perfect time for this kind of thing to happen. At least I have a better handle on the lesson I'm intended to learn.

Since I know I'm not the only person that bad things happen to periodically, this week I'm asking you to share with me your coping strategies to deal with times when the proverbial shit hits the fan. When things get really bad, how do you deal with it? I'm always looking for new ways to manage my stress and I bet there are things that you do that I should be trying too.

So this is where you leave me a comment below or head over to the Oh My Aches and Pains! Facebook page and post something on the wall. Thanks for sharing.