Whazzzuuup, you ask?
Not much and everything.
You’ve probably noticed I haven’t been blogging so much. The lack of activity is due to a few things.
1) I’ve been waiting for the newly redesigned website to launch so that I could start with some fresh content and a new approach. Predictably, we’re running a little behind on that relaunch. (But stop back because we’ll have a new site for you to peruse soon!)
2) This website was infected with malware which means we’ve had trouble keeping it up, so to speak. All seems well now.
3) I just moved from my home (of 13+ years) into an apartment while our house is being remodeled over the next nine months or so. Two more plants need to be moved and the move will be behind me. YAY!
While I’m always focused on my business, the blog has been a lower priority while I pay attention to more pressing items such as our tours and our fabulous tour people.
Even with juggling so many things, I think I’ve been dealing with the added stress better than I ever have (with a couple of exceptional moments :-).
How have I managed, you ask?
Lessons from My Travels
To begin with, I think my years of travel have taught me to be quite patient. I’ve learned to expect trains to be delayed (except in Japan!), buses to be overcrowded and the vegetarian dish I ordered to have meat in it. That’s all part of the adventure, right? If you’re going to get upset about everything that goes wrong during a trip, you’ll have a miserable time.
You have to learn to roll with the punches.
It’s not any different than the patience you show a child who doesn’t yet know the ways of the world.
At home, I try to inject that same sense of patience into my everyday life. Some days I’m more successful than others.
Just like a cancelled flight on an important business trip, things will not always work out as planned. Life throws you curve balls. Whether it’s the delayed launch of what will be an amazing new website, fixing a 
website that is broken or moving 13+ years worth of “stuff” that you can’t live without into a smallish two-bedroom apartment.
It’s how you deal with it that makes all the difference.
In addition to the patience I’ve learned from my travels, I can’t deny that there are other factors that have helped me feel grounded. Meditating. Running. And a healthy diet.
There’s no doubt that having these basic tools in my toolbox have helped me in the past weeks, months and recent years. I’m taking things more in stride (though not completely) and realize that when I’m feeling overwhelmed–and, really, it’s only a feeling–it won’t last forever. If I’m aware enough of what I’m reacting to, it may not last for more than an hour.
Honestly? It takes a level of awareness and effort that I have to work at. The awareness of why and how I’m reacting to a given situation and the effort not to react. It’s difficult. More difficult than I’d like to admit because I want it to come easy. But the fact is, I need tools and constant reminders to keep an even tone.
Japan, which was my most recent trip, was easy because everything works so well there. There was nothing to get flustered about. But I look forward to my next challenging destination (Papua New Guinea? The Snowman Trek? Tanzania?) to test out just how well my new attitude works.
Meantime, I’m trying not to let outside influences, those that I don’t have control over, get to me too much. One day at time, Beth. One day at a time.
How do you handle stress at home or when traveling?
Be Bold,
Beth
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My motto throughout my life during stressful times (and there have been many):
This too shall pass.
Great points; too often has my family ruined a trip by flipping out at some type of snafu in the trip. No trip is going to be perfect, you have to just accept it!
To battle stress when traveling, I simply make very thin itineraries and allow myself the freedom to do what I want while I’m there. I’ll bring ideas, but not plan too much ahead.
At home, I just try to keep uncluttered and caught up on my chores. I also take the time to exercise and meditate as much as I can. Turn off the TV and electronics!
“It is what it is.”
A friend of mine who is helping her spouse through a debilitating disease that has changed both their lives forever kept saying that to me whenever I asked how things were. I’ve taken it to heart. As my friend says, not matter what is happening – good or bad, planned or unplanned – you have to deal with what is in front of you. Raging, sulking, and throwing fits doesn’t help solve the problem. Besides, sometimes things go so wrong, you have to just laugh at the whole situation!
So true, Jane! And sometimes I do just throw up my hands and laugh at certain situations. Thanks for sharing!