It’s amazing to me how quickly stress can creep up on you.
One day I feel in total control, and the next day I am ready to burst from stress.
How is that possible?
I know everyone always says to enjoy the moment, but to be honest, it is really hard.
Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy with my life but sometimes a little vent is necessary right?
As we are about to pack up our house and move our family twice in one year, I can’t help but wonder what the next few years has in store for us.
My first thought…I am scared!
I am up for the adventure of moving, meeting new friends, and discovering new cities, but I am terrified for Residency.
Medical school has been exciting, hard, stressful, overwhelming, and yet enjoyable. What will Residency bring? One thing I know for sure…long hours. The thought of my husband being gone 80 hours a week makes me cringe. Night shifts, on-call, no weekends off, endless loans, and low pay…are we really going to do this for the next 6 years? I know, it will be worth it in the end right? I repeat those words to myself daily.
And just think, one day I may be able to buy a piece of furniture that is not second hand or IKEA…how lovely would that be.
In the meantime, I will drown my stress in pictures of beautiful interiors.
Sounds like the responsible thing to do right?
{all images via Everything Just Pure Lovely}
Yummy.
I already feel a little better.
Let’s hear it, are you stressed too? What is stressing you out and how do you manage it?
C’mon, don’t be shy, misery loves company right?
I feel your pain sweet girl on some level. But not the crazy long hours a doctors wife has to endure. You are a good woman to see him through this and hopefully it will pay off (not just financially) in the end. You will all be so much closer for having gone through this together! We’ve had a crazy stressful few years and my only wish for the new year was for things to stay the same and stay settled. Well if that wasn’t the opposite of what’s happened. I’ve learned that you have to focus on what you can control, even if it’s just controlling your outlook, and that really helps. Good luck and keep your optimism!
t’s so true, it’s all about the attitude right? I’m sure it wont be as bad as it sounds, just seems super intimidating right now. I hope things calm down for you soon, stress is the worst!
We all have been through craziness that’s for sure. I’ve gone through a lifechange recently in selling my home based business of 22 years and hit the skids financially but now working outside the home in an office part time for the new owner! It’s temporary till he gets transitioned, but still it is so weird. Hopefully our design business will fill the gap and I now have more time for it which I am so thankful for. Bless you and your journey and keep your faith and perseverance. It will all work out, and you will look back on this and laugh one day. Best wishes.
xo Nancy
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Wow, those are huge changes! Way to keep a good attitude, I need to learn from you 🙂
I think you’ve got a great attitude about it, and you are right venting always helps. You are a strong mamma and I know you all will get thru these next few years. The adventure will be great, and as for the stress – this too shall pass.
Thanks, you are the sweetest!
Residency can be a challenge. There is so much pressure on the residents to do more than just residency. So on top of the hours at the hospital, the hours of studying, there is also research, and other things that residents pursue to try and make them the best possible candidates for hire. The weekend thing is hard too and I went through a phase where church was definitely the hardest, longest, most emotion day of the week. I went through some phases of resentment and anger and residency made me question for the first time if this crazy path was really worth it. But I changed the way I thought and focused on acceptance. Its amazing what a change in attitude did for me. I feel really happy and love this simple time in our life. You will too!! It honestly is a great time and it’s been so rewarding to be a hard working resident’s number 1 fan. Good luck with the move!
I love hearing from people that are surviving it! It is SO all in the attitude! I just need to work on mine 🙂
I love that I’m not the only one venting on my blog! And I feel for you, hang in there.
(Love that bathroom up there and had it pinned already. It’s so pretty)
Sometimes a girl just needs to complain right? Glad I am not alone!
I’m due to have my second baby at the end of June and I feel scared for how stressed my life may become. Of course I have had stressful days with just one but from what I have heard, having two is pretty intense, and of course when the spouse is working during the week. Hopefully I can retain some sanity just by knowing we all feel stressed to some degree and that I am not alone. Hang in there!
I hear ya, the transition to two kids was interesting. You will do great. My best advise, take one day at a time! Congrats!
We are a year behind you in the residency thing and it’s already stressing me out…the whole applying process and residency itself. Plus finishing one more semester of school before I graduate and just the day in and day outs of caring for 3 kids all have me stressed. All good stressors I suppose but it can take its toll.
It’ll be worth it in the end! 🙂 Good luck with the move!
Applying to residency really is the worst! It is SO expensive, time consuming, and super stressful! I feel for you. And you are in school and have 3 kids, my hero! You really are amazing.
I just blogged about all my stress (and the not-so-great way I was handling it until my daughter helped me out), so I love that you’re honestly sharing on here! My sister in law just finished the loooong process you’re staring down right now–she married her husband the month before he started medical school. By the end if his 10 years they had four kids and one on the way, had done 4 years medical school, moved, one year internship, moved, four years if residency, moved, then one final year of a fellowship, then moved one more time for him to finally start his career. You will get there! Take it one day at a time, and the payoff at the end will be totally worth it.
Oh my, sounds exactly like what we will be doing! I love hearing that others survived the whole process. And with 4 kids? She must be super woman!
I hope you got your stress all worked out…sometimes we just need a little perspective even if it comes from the little ones! My daughter is always remaining me about what is important, even at 5!
Your home is lovely even with the restraints of second-hand and Ikea. And, at least with second-hand, you’re putting less strain on the environment. As far as I’m concerned, look at that aspect as a benefit. Even when you someday can afford the $3k couch – will you want it? I bet you can still make a gorgeous room with a $600 couch and do something better with the remaining $2400, right? (If nothing else, from a blog perspective, I’m never impressed reading posts from writers who have endless monetary resources to just buy the fanciest things out there. Anyone can spend more money, right? That’s not a skill.)
Oh how I love you for this comment! And you are SO right. What was I thinking? I love designing a room on a budget and I honesty can not imagine spending $3K on a couch! Who knows, maybe that will change but I am pretty sure the reason I adore my home is because of all the hard work I have put into it. Thanks for reminding me, I needed that today!
that first picture is gorgeous – love the black trimmed stairwell accented with a black lighting fixture to tie things together!
knowing you + your family, you’ll make new friends in no time + have lots of support surrounding you through the next transitions you’re coming up on!
stressed? count me in there… i’m prego with our first kiddo + have no idea how i’m going to get any bigger… a full trimester to go! much less the thought of HAVING the child! lots of fun transitions/changes ahead. i’ll just keep looking at your beautiful inspiration pictures to keep my mind off those things!
Thanks Amy! Is it really only one trimester left? You will be a natural I know it! Change is hard but so good too! Can’t wait for that sweet baby!
Oh how I feel your pain! My husband is a PhD student and man is it stressful at times. Not only does he work long hours but he also has papers to write, classes to teach and take, and all the while hardly making enough for us to survive on. I always tell him when he is worried about money/time/grants/research results that the best is yet to come. Hang in there! In 20 years we will look back on all our worries and laugh 🙂 Hopefully!
Student life is so rough! You guys are awesome for sticking through it so we can all benefit for the research and University professors that come from such hard work! 20 years is right, oh my…
It’s so nice to have someone else know exactly how I feel! I am feeling beyond stressed right now too. Moving, buying a house, long hours for B, dealing with loans and low pay, trying to find something I can do to make some money, and the list goes on!! But I also know that you are one of the strongest people I know, and both of your pregnancies have proved that! You CAN do it, and it WILL be worth it!
Thanks Kristen, I seriously can’t believe we are not going to live by each other! SO LAME! But a huge congrats on the house! I can’t wait to see what you do with it. Good to know that I will survive…hopefully!
I hear ya sister! When I get stressed I like to think of the saying that goes (something along the lines of) “you only experience the lows so that you can recognize and enjoy the highs). It’s funny how life ebbs and flows. In January I lost my sweet sister after a horrible battle with cancer. She had just turned 40. I found myself saying the other week that I finally felt like I was breathing again but didn’t even realize I had stopped. Stress can do some crazy things to you and all you can do is try to recognize it. Vent, look at pretty decor pics, have fun on your blog, talk to us cyber friends and enjoy your loved ones. A good thing to remember is that it (the stressful time) always passes. And when you get those great days/periods you will no doubt recognize them and enjoy them :). xo
I am so sorry for your loss, I can’t even imagine how difficult it would be to lose a sister. Your strength is inspiring. You are so right, the lows do help you recognize the highs. Big cyber hugs to you! xo, Danielle
YES! Basically just have a lot of balls in the air and haven’t mastered the art of juggling. And I hate feeling disorganized! One day at a time… 🙂
Oh I agree, feeling disorganized is that worst!
My husband isn’t studying medicine but our year has been one of the most stressful in our 20 year marriage. My husband was laid off last year after working for same company since college (21 years!) We are living on the west coast of Canada where house prices are ridiculous and renting. Our landlords want to sell the house and we aren’t sure where our income is coming from come fall when the severance runs out. I went back to working full time for the first time in 18 years, teaching the second grade! That is a stress in of itself – teaching! And our oldest went off to college. Life is so up in the air. We moved 6 times in 12 years for the company and now we aren’t sure if we have to move again just to find work. Argh. I try to take one day at a time and enjoy the small beautiful things that come my way. And I have hope and faith that all will work out in the end!
Hugs to you and good luck! You will survive!
Wow, you really have been through it all in the last year. I am so impressed by your attitude! You have really made the best out of a hard situation. I hope things start to fall in place for you, you deserve it!
I know what you are talking about, I have had a very stressful year and have been taking steps to learn to cope with it. May I suggest lots of deep breathing, like twice daily, lots of chamomile tea and rest? Oh and don’t think about the future – live in the moment, stop your mind from ‘talking’ and tell yourself you are in the here and now. Ok, Dr. Matthews, over and out!! I hope that helps just a bit!! xo
Why thank you Dr. Matthews 🙂
I don’t know that the trade off is really worth it!? Every time I purchase something now, I think ‘How many hours will my husband have had to work his toosh of, and be away from us -his family – for me to have this item x !!!?? Works like a charm every time!! I enjoy ‘making ends meet’ by being frugal, price conscious and bargain savvy!! If someone gave me $10000 dollars, and said ‘go for it!!Spend it on what you want’ I would be like ‘I want more time with my husband/family, I’m going to keep it to pay the bills while we take time off’!!
It’s so true, time with the whole family is priceless! I am pretty sure that is what I am looking forward to the most when school is over!
Hello! I am new to your blog recently and it’s darling, I am originally from SLC, have lived away for 8 years and my husband will be finishing his residency this June!! Wahoo!! Before we started residency everyone kept telling me all their horror stories and how he would be gone All the time yadda yadda yadda… I have to say it wasn’t that bad. He was very busy, gone a lot at times, and it definitely had its moments, but I just tried to go with the flow and not to focus on the bad too much. Since residency is a smaller group then school there is a lot of comradery and good friends to be had. As crazy as it sounds I am going to miss it a lot. They are crazy years but good ones too. We are moving in a couple months too and it is a scary thought, but its such a fun adventure!! Good luck to you!!
Thanks Hillary! I love hearing that it wasn’t that bad, makes me feel so much better! I am so excited to meet the other residents and families, I hear they become life long friends!
Residency is SO much better than medical school, because even though the pay is little, it is pay! Plus, they actually get to be doctors instead of sitting in a classroom. Above all, it goes by SO fast! We have been married for almost 12 years. When we first got married, Jeremy was just starting his undergraduate degree. He finishes his residency in June, and then we will be moving to Utah for a one year fellowship. You meet so many cool people and get to live somewhere new before settling down. And again, it goes by fast! Enjoy the ride…and it’s okay to hate the ride some of the time…we all need a good vent every now and again!
I am definitely looking forward to having an income and not taking out anymore loans! We also got married right before my husband started his undergraduate degree, so crazy to think that our first 14 years of marriage we will be students! So so glad to hear that it goes fast, I know medical school flew by!
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I know what you mean! It’s like… one week, everything is perfectly normal, the next STRESS CENTRAL. Kind of there, too. Thinking of you!