How I cope with working with the public and much, much more
I manage 185 properties in addition to doing financial consulting, credit repair, and real estate. I also write a blog and write for Medium. When I’m not working, I have a husband, four children, two step-children, two dogs, two birds, and a turtle to take care of.
Needless to say, my life is a huge stress ball minus squeezing satisfaction. The constant effort to manage my stress is the only reason that I am felony free.
I often get asked how I handle my chaotic life. It is always stressful, never boring, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. However, I would do all kinds of shady things for just one night alone in a hotel room. Until that happens, I have to find peace and de-stress where I can.
I don’t know what I did in my past life, but whatever it was had to have been really bad. I have had the worst luck, being accident-prone, have awkward tendencies, and stay moderately to extremely annoyed on a very consistent basis since the day I was born.
It started upon my delivery unto this earth and has lasted up into this very point of my life. This point in which I am sitting on my front porch writing while my 14-year-old tries to annoy me non-stop, as usual, by screeching like a car alarm.
My husband is inside and completely incapacitated on the couch watching tv in a comatose-like state. Although I know otherwise, he looks like he has never even heard of the word stress. I would give almost anything to have that kind of peace of mind for just five minutes.
My Oasis
That sounds fancy, but it’s just my damn bathroom. Every night, I take a hot bubble bath with a glass or seven of wine. I am in heaven until I leave. I try to ignore the children sitting outside my door, but I can still hear them.
It is still an amazing time to relax and practice mindful breathing. I have to be very careful not to fall asleep. I just know I’ll die in some stupid way like this or trip over a Cheeto.
My Friends
I am absolutely blessed to have a huge tribe of friends. I have most of these friends for twenty or more years. When life gets to be too much for me, I take a day off and become a kid again with my friends. We like to do stupid, silly things the same as we did 20 years ago. Laughter is a big part of my life and one of the main reasons that I am still sane. It is most definitely a coping mechanism for me. I do consider it to be the best medicine.
I cannot overemphasize how important it is to have good friends no matter your age or circumstance. If you don’t have any, make some. E-mail me, I’ll be glad to be your friend. I love learning about other people.
Animals
My animals remind me constantly that there is loyalty and innocence left in this world. However minimal it may be, is beside the point. There’s absolutely nothing that I could do to offend them that they would not forgive me for, even fake throwing a ball. Which I would not do as I am not a monster.
I have spent my whole life looking for a love of this nature. At this point, I think the only thing close to the love of an animal is the love of a mother. There is nothing that those little #### *’s could do that would make me love them any less.
Mosaics
The latest of the many hobbies I have tried over my life is mosaic art and I am surprised to say that I love it. I am considering sticking with it. As I am a novice, I am not the best at it yet. But I plan to be, as I always do. It is relaxing and creative outlet for me. And it’s really hard to make a bad looking mosaic.
Reading
I have been an avid reader my whole life. I started reading at the young age of four and have not taken a break from it since. I like every genre and it is by far my favorite thing to do to relax, much to the annoyance of my husband. He would rather that I watch television with him than do anything else. Explaining the allure of reading to a non-reader is all but impossible.
Writing
Writing is more than a hobby to me. It’s cathartic and I feel like it helps me more than therapy ever did. I write things that are funny to me and aren’t for many others. I write about the hard moments and good ones. Some, actually most, of the items I write will never see the light of day. Which is, most likely, a good thing for everyone.
Music
I have more Spotify playlists than bras. I have a playlist for every mood and I listen to all genres. Well, except for classical. I don’t think there is enough social training in the world for that. Music can take me from almost any mood and transform me to a completely new one within minutes. I can go from being a thug to a western star to singing old school rock within minutes on any of my playlists. It’s one of many reasons that my kids find me uncool.
So, there you have it. Those are the real things I do, minus the binge drinking of course, at home to help deal with some of my stress. Is a felony assault charge attractive to me after half an hour of verbal abuse? I won’t lie. Yes, it is. But, I just grin and bear it.
I also like to keep a decent attitude when allowable by my tenants, husband or kids. But sometimes, that is just impossible, so I throw on some loud music, say a few motivational cuss words to myself, and carry on with my life. Then, I do it all again the next day.
Originally posted on Medium 2020
Kylie’s Rants 