Over the past year that I have been writing with intensity (‘Lynn’s Story’ and
Medieval Writing Desk (Public Domain)
‘Views From Sandhausen’), I have, on occasion, been stressed. If you consider that I started this odyssey as a coping mechanism for dealing with the death of my wonderful Lynn, stressing over the solution to one’s fundamental stressor is less than optimal.
Those of you that know me know that in the direct aftermath of Lynn’s passing (documented in “Lynn’s Story”) I quit smoking. Well, I’ve been bragging that I was capable of doing that at any time for years; it was certainly ‘Put up or Shut up’ time. Well I did and I did; not that I would have given nearly anything to weaken – I did not. So, how did I do it!
As a Global Program Manager for a Fortune 100 company for 38 years, I learned many lessons on dealing with stress. Project Managing Year 2000 for my company, allowed me to really focus on those ‘Lessons Learned’, employing them personally, and teaching them to others. Lynn’s passing was Shattering. With my writing and the love (and support) of my family, I used those tactics again.
In part, to learn the ‘Writing and Publishing” Industry, I subscribed to several dozen writer and publisher blogs. One of my absolute favorites is Kristin Lamb’s Blog, WarriorWriters.WordPress.com.
In it she covers a wide range of topics on all things writing and publishing. Recently, she wrote a wonderful post: Stress Happens–Surviving and Thriving Despite Life’s Setbacks . I urge you to read it, even if you are not a writer. It is solid, common-sense driven advice in a time when we all can use all of the coping strategies we can obtain!
Cliff
