Ch-ch-ch-changes

So many things have been changing lately and I think my body hasn't caught up yet. This last Monday I found myself practically paralyzed due to back pain. I made it into work but didn't last more than a half day. It's been hurting ever since. I've done the Icy-Hot patches, Thermacare patches, Ibuprofin, and Loritab. This evening is the first time I've felt any relief and that's mostly in that I can actually sit up without tearing up! I feel so bad for not giving that much thought when people say they have backpain. Never again. Now I know it's serious business, I won't be dismissing it again. But I guess I should clue you in as to where this backpain probably stems from: stress. My stress levels are unusually high, even for me. Some of it's good stress, some of it's not. The deadlines that have been pushed out at work this year have been unreasonable. Maybe it's due to the economy or maybe it's just the corporate culture, but either way, it's done left it's mark on me. I really enjoy parts of my job but dealing with bad tempers and stubborn people, just leaves me feeling rather negative -- certainly more often than I'd like to be. I know part of it is up to me. I have to leave it at the door and tell people when they need to step back and give me some breathing room. School is also wrapping up. While the summer semester hasn't been difficult perse, it's been brief. So brief that I feel like I've had very little time to study or get anything done. I have a week and a half left, I think I can make it. Josh and the girls moved in last month. Things seem to be going relatively well but there is that stress in making my house our house. Getting the girls to listen to me. Adjusting to people being around all the time. And the cats just moved in today. So lots of things to work on all at one time. The only thing I know is that there is light at the end of this tunnel. I'm almost done with my BA. I don't know what will come next. I'd like to think it's the MMIS degree but somedays I just don't know if that's the right thing for me longterm. Josh and I are working on getting ourselves in the best financial place so should we decide to buy a house, move, etc. We have a fresh start. The only thing that doesn't seem to be letting up is work. So again, it's up to me to not let work run my entire life. I know I do a good job, a better job than I give myself credit for and I should give myself more breaks.