Burned Out! - How to Cope Up with the Growing Pressure a.k.a. Bitch-Mode

Reality check. I'm not getting any younger. In fact, I can already see and feel the signs of aging. 

Caring for a child with special needs becomes more and more challenging as the years go by. Gabriel's getting bigger and heavier just as I'm getting older. 

Perhaps this is one of the dilemmas of being a mom to a special child. It does not get easier over time. Instead, it gets more and more difficult. I have to be strong...not only for today but more importantly, for the days to come.

Five years ago, it was still very easy for me to carry Gabriel around. Transferring him was easy-peasy. However, as the years pass, I begin to ask myself; am I getting old and weak? Or, Gabriel just got bigger and heavier?

Every single day is filled with challenges and rewards. My everyday revolves around Gabriel's feeding time, medicine time, cleaning/bath time, therapy time, feeding time again, medicine time, TV time, nap time, feeding time, medicine time, cleaning time, bonding time, bed time... with play time somewhere in between. That's my everyday. It has become my routine.

Before I even know it...

Burned out! And so here it goes... my list on how to cope up with the stress and growing pressure of caring for a child with special needs a.k.a Burned Out 101:

1. Change of scenery - a walk in a park will do if it's not possible to travel to the beach

2. Time with friends - coffee time and gossip time

3. Sweet flicks and feel-good movies - with my husband and Gabriel, of course

4. Funny videos - Thank God for YouTube!

5. Punch pillows as hard as I can - I imagine myself punching at all the things that hurt and upset me

6. Stretching - it helps me in conditioning myself whenever I feel sluggish. It also helps relieve the tension in my body.

7. Sleep - because I need to hibernate from time to time

8. Read quotes on Twitter - it doesn't mean much but coming across tweets about women empowerment motivates and inspires me

9. Go to the mall - because I'm still a girl, duh!

10. Online shopping - when all plans of going to the mall fail, feasting on nice things is just a few clicks away

These are what I consider as "my practical vacation list"...or my "me time"...

"Me Times" can do a lot of wonders. It allows me to reboot my system so that I can perform my duties better. It is also a perfect time for me to throw all my cares away and just have fun. 

My "Happy Place" - Boracay!

Vacation or a change in my routine is a very rare opportunity for me because it takes a lot to make it happen. This is also the reason why I cannot forgive anyone who makes me feel bad while on vacation... 

Do that to me once and we're through. I know it sounds bitchy but this is me at 36 (and I do have plans of upgrading that this year because there are just far too many fake people in this world nowadays). And besides, can I help it? I do not sugarcoat. I can be mean if I'm upset. I can be bitchy if I want to even if it's not my style. 

A vacation is all I need. Is that too much to ask?

Read this. I DESERVE A BREAK.

So there you go, vacation is a stress-buster for me (even if it's just lying around inside the room watching a movie or reading tweets) and I guess it just makes sense for me to want it to be really, really stress-free and bitch-free.

Of course it is acceptable to have minor problems here and there. That I can handle. What bothers me is having mean people around. Having to deal with them is like wearing shoes that are too tight - so hard to fit in and it hurts in the end. 

And besides, being stuck in a place with someone you don't really like while on break or in the middle of a "me time"? It sucks.

***Credits to the photo owners and authors of the quotes used in this blog post.