Annual Worst Week...

I think we all have this issue - there's always one day or one week out of the year that we all dread ... for whatever reason: the anniversary of the death of a parent, the holidays, etc. For the third straight year, my worst week is (roughly) from October 6-13 and I suspect, it will be a hard week for the rest of my life due to a myriad of reasons. Each year, my wish for this week will be (i) to get through it with some sort of dignity by not doing something stupid, (ii) not gain 10 pounds in stressful eating, and (iii) not get arrested for slapping someone who richly deserves a good slap in the face. I'm kidding about that last point...sort of!

I'm part of the way through my worst week and so far so good. And even though my stress eating has increased, I haven't gained. I haven't lost either, but that's okay. And the cupcakes have been yummy! Thus far, my dignity is intact and I'm not in jail.  All good. A few more days and this week will be in the past and I'll have 51 weeks before I have to face it again.  My goal for the rest of this week is to stay focused on work and grad school and ignore the date. But I'm not sure this is the best way to get through this week is by ignoring it, eventually ignoring it won't work. Friends have suggested doing something for myself: shopping, massage, etc., but that all requires money that I can ill afford to spend. Yoga and meditation are not my thing at all. Crying is always an option, but I sort of feel like if I go down that road, I'll travel way too far and end up on a path that I can't get back from. Some people turn to alcohol, but I haven't had a drink in 2½ years and intend to keep it that way. That leaves the following stress relievers: go for a walk, a long hot bath, listening to music, reading, and/or working out. But I already do all these things in the natural course of my life, so they're not exactly distractions. Guess I'm at a loss on what else I can do to get through this week every year and remain stress free. Hmmm. Oh well, as Scarlett O'Hara says: "I'll think about that tomorrow." 5 more days and I'm in the clear.

[Update 10/8; 6:01pm]  Note to self: buying a 1 pound package of Oreo Double Stuf cookies and eating two-thirds of the package in half a day is probably not the way to go when stressed!