I haven’t been sleeping well recently. It is for sure a stress issue, but it hasn’t coalesced into anything concrete enough for me to understand and take action against yet. So far, it’s just disturbing dreams and waking up with mutant tension headaches.

This is not a new issue for me, and I know I will resolve it eventually, but it made me think about how periods like this have a ripple effect on our lives.

Say I’m stressed and overwhelmed about work (common). That makes me tense and irritable at home, affecting my sleep, the time I spend with my son, and usually limiting my ambition to indulge in activities that otherwise make me happy – like writing.

Stress is one of the reasons it has taken me so long to “finish” BRICK. Two and a half years ago we moved to Iowa for a new job opportunity. I found that I threw myself 150% into the challenge of learning a new position, a new workplace, a new city, a new life for my son.

I like challenges. And I find my work fulfilling. But that doesn’t mean that other things aren’t important to me. And I didn’t let myself have that balance. I gave everything to my job, and to my son. But that meant I didn’t have anything leftover for me. For my writing.

So I have to be very conscious of my mindset now; to keep track of where I am concentrating my energy. To make sure I have something left that is just for me.