Pet Peeves... and a Moment of Zen

by Christine Wells

Do you find yourself getting irritated for very little cause these days?

When I worked in a legal firm, I would often put in twelve hour days and work on the weekends, too. Life was fast-paced and stressful. And I found myself getting irritated at the least little thing in the world outside that went against me. I had so many pet peeves, I could have filled a zoo.

I've left that life now, but I still feel the stress of deadlines and balancing writing and family life. We're about to start a house renovation and won't that do a lot to improve my blood pressure?

Here are just some of my pet(ty) peeves:

*People who leave the toilet seat up, which is closely tied to people who refuse to replace an empty toilet paper roll

*People who assume that because I am at home with children my time is less valuable than theirs

*Litter in public places--how hard is it to find a bin/trash can?

*People who spend the entire train ride talking loudly on their cell phone

*Rudeness from people in the "hospitality" industry.

*Sultanas. I wish sultanas had never been invented. Nasty, squishy little surprises that creep in to all sorts of food that would otherwise be delicious... Uh, sorry. See what I mean? The more stressed we get the more petty our peeves become.

But I realized one day that I need to let go of these small irritations to become a more effective writer. When your head is preoccupied with little things, it's very hard to get the creative brain working to its full capacity.

How do you let go of stress? I've found some things that work--exercise, especially yoga, hypnosis, meditation. I imagine a session with the boxing gloves would help(though the only time I tried it I couldn't lift my arms without pain for a week!)

Sometimes, all it takes is reminding myself that this time next week I'll have forgotten all about this particular incident. Have a little tolerance, for goodness' sake!

OK, so tell me your day to day pet peeves... and now tell me how you decompress. I'd love to add some strategies to my list!