Tis the Season for the Loss of Reason

As much as I love the holidays I really dislike the time leading up to them.  Christmas is always such a panicked time of year, especially in my line of work.  I work in advertising and December is traditionally the "use it or lose it" month when it comes to budgets.   Throw in the fact that most ad agencies close for a week between Christmas and New Year's and that equals 3 weeks of insanity.  Mix that in with an already hectic schedule and you have a recipe for a Stressball Cocktail.  Some days it's so busy I don't stop from the time I get in until after I get home (answering emails etc).  Everyone needs everything asap and usually at the same time and some of the requests are just plain crazy.  It is both mentally and physically exhausting.  I like to think of it as the Season for the Loss of Reason. 

Normally I'd lace up my shoes and go for a run, or hop on my bike and go for a ride.  But I can't.  Well, I can but it's more than likely going to be painful.  I'm having knee problems again and obviously this is the source of much stress because I can't seem to figure out what is causing it this time around.   So I've opted to take things easy, which essentially means I'm getting cranky faster because my normal stress release outlet isn't available to me right now.  What's really stressing me out about this is the uncertainty as to when I'll be better (I'm saying when vs. if because I'm trying to remain as positive as possible!)

So I'm trying my best to grin and bear it.  If there's one thing I've learned in my 15+ years of producing, it's that everything always seems to work out.  So I should know by now that all that stress is unnecessary.  One day perhaps I'll learn but for now, I'll just bust out my stretchy pants and make sure the beer fridge is fully stocked.

What part of the holidays do you find stressful?  How do you deal with your stress?

Thanks to Deb Runs for hosting Wednesday Word!