How do you cope with stress?

It's Friday afternoon and the house is quiet. The boys are still in school. Teacher Husband is off at work.  I'm taking a moment to decompress after a very stressful week.  We had some challenging behavioral issues with Big E. At the same time, we had some academic issues with Little E, including a meeting with two of his teachers and the principal to discuss options.  None of them are easy choices.

I hardly devoted any time to writing this week, not even my morning journal sessions, let alone posting regularly to my blog.  I'm three days behind on an online writing query and synopsis class I signed up for through Romance Writers of America (RWA).

Earlier in the week, I was enduring a serious bout of PMS, which added another level of complication. PMS transforms my body and my attitude into a different person entirely.  Like the difference between Dr. Jekll and Mr. Hyde.

Fortunately, thankfully, work was little area of calm in my world.

As wives and mothers, indeed women in general, we all cope with balancing our obligations to our family, our jobs, our church or other volunteer organizations, and ourselves differently.  Like other women, I find that I must claw out time for writing because that endeavor takes a backseat to everything else.  Sometimes, I feel backed into a corner and must defend my writing pursuits like a vicious mama bear.

Why is that? How do you balance your work and life?

Here's to a less stressful weekend.