How do you deal?

With stress, that is?

I've learned to anticipate stress during the Fall busy months of my business, but it still pulls the rug out from under me every year. The last few weeks particularly because I'm prepping for my husband and I to go to D.C. on Thursday. For some reason I get very stressed out before I go out of town. Anyone else?

My problem being, that I know I will enjoy the trip WAY MORE if I leave caught up on work. Oh, AND have my house clean. When you add all of these elements together...I'm running around like a crazy person trying to get everything done. Why do I feel the need to have my house clean when I leave? I mean, I know why, I want to come home to it clean. But what is the deal with that? I don't come home to it clean when I leave to run to the store?!

My question is this...what do you do to relieve your stress? I mean little things, like at the end of the day. Read? Watch TV? Get your nails done? Have a stiff drink? And also, how do you deal with the stress of a lot to do? Do you make a list? Start with little things and work up, or start with big things and work down? Just crawl in bed and take a nap? (tempting) My natural response is too shut down when pressure overwhelms me. I fight that because obviously I have too.

It's during times like these that I remember back to being a teenager and wanting nothing more than to be an adult so my life would be awesome! What are we thinking then?