Four For Friday

I am sitting here staring at the screen with a mind so full of other things that I can't come up with a good idea for this week's Four For Friday. I am THIS close to just posting four pictures again, but I feel the need to present more than that each week.

You see....I am under stress. A great deal of stress. More stress than I have experienced in a long, long time. The good news is.....the event causing this stress isn't about me or my life directly, but the bad news is.....it affects people I love, people I worry about, and in turn it will affect my life. The most stressful part of all this is I can't talk about it. I have to keep it in for awhile. I don't like holding it in. I don't like secrets. I am STRESSED.

So...for this week's installment of Four For Friday, I want to talk about four things I do when I am stressed.

1. I am a stress eater. You know how some people when under stress or emotional pain don't have an appetite and find themselves losing weight? Well that is NOT me. I EAT! I eat JUNK! I eat A LOT of junk! When a good friend of mine died suddenly, I found myself in the grocery store holding a big bag of Cheetos. I proceeded to eat the entire bag in one evening. It was that moment, that I realized my huge potential to overeat large amounts of JUNK when under stress or emotional turmoil. I have fear that over the next few months I will gain 20lbs!

2. I take deep breaths, and let the air out of my mouth as if slowly blowing out a candle. There is a nice loud air blowing sound that accompanies it too. I do this with no warning, and often when under tension and stress. I know I am subconsciously trying to calm myself down, but it can be embarrassing and distracting even to myself. I did this annoying behavior several times an hour today, driving myself batty.

3. I pull hair out of my scalp or eyelashes. Okay....you can get all disgusted and turn away from my freakishness on this one. Go Ahead....skip to number four. For those of you wanting to torture yourself, go ahead and check out this condition called, Trichotillomania. I have a mild form of this. NOT cool. Luckily, I have never created a bald spot on my head, but I am ashamed to admit that often I have sections missing on my eyelashes. :( Embarrassing, but it is something I struggle to keep under control while I am stressed. I'll be lucky to get through this stressful time with all of my eyelashes.

4. I talk....ummmmm even more than usual! Yup, I am a talker in general, but when I am under a great deal of stress, I NEED to talk about it. I NEED to work through my thoughts out loud, and I can't hardly control it. I drift from one person to the next talking....trying to either get the stress out, or to completely take my mind off the stress. I really feel for my friends and family when I am under stress....I NEVER shut up. I will be needing my friends and family very much, very soon.

So there you have it. My ugly side. My stressed out, fat, heavy breathing, bald eyelided, motor mouth self. Be glad you live far, far away from me right now. It isn't pretty! Oh the STRESS........

You know what? I'd love to not feel alone in all this....care to share what you do when stressed? Pretty please....with sugar on top? Consider it a favor to a girl on the verge....pass the doughnuts!