How do we handle stress in our lives?

I have to admit that, while I am in the middle of several surgeries that I need to get through (hopefully by the end of the year----we've already maxed out our "out-of-pocket", so bring on the surgeries, hospital rooms, etc. before the end of the year). But lots of people I know have stressors in their lives, and somehow we mostly live through them. How?
For me, it is within three things where I find peace:

• God---I can find Him when I kneel down and pray every single morning, then I read three meditation books that I have partners with so we text about our thoughts regarding the readings; I can easily find Him in church when I am sitting next to Dave, holding his hand and listening to a sermon that feels like it was hand-picked for me---or when it's my week to sing with our Praise and Worship Team and the music and lyrics almost lead me to tears; I can find Him when the breeze is blowing in the backyard and the dogs and I are outside, sitting in the sunshine (the dogs are either on my chaise lounge with me or on their own----spoiled rotten!).
• Talking and Listening to my own personal Spiritual Advisors---If you don't have one of these people in your life, I pray you find at least one. Last year, God and my three spiritual advisors told me I needed to focus on my health (I have had double pneumonia with sepsis twice in two years) and quit working for three months. Whew! For a girl who is hooked on my work so very much (traveling to schools and districts across the country working with teachers and administrators), that was like a stab in the chest. But you know what? Their advice paid off. During that time, I did still teach one online class at Grand Canyon University at a time (the semesters for Ed. Leadership courses) are 6 weeks long, so they are compact and I could do a few during that time. Shhhh.....don't tell my Spiritual Advisors I may have cheated a little bit. Through those three months, my time with God became richer, as I spent a lot more time doing spiritual things with spiritual people. Again, do you have at least one? If not, you don't have to believe in God or belong to a church. You just need the willingness to open up from the heart (not the head, so much; I can intellectualize myself into or out of anything) to another human being.
• Quiet time---I know I alluded to it before but taking time to read (I absolutely love fiction books----in fact, I have a t-shirt that says "I stand with the banned" as my favorite author is Jodi Picoult whose books have been banned in so many high schools, it breaks my heart) is one of my biggest passions. That need for quiet time for me is what pulls me over a bit into the Introvert side, although being an Extrovert is so easy when I am with family and friends I love. Sometimes I sit in my library and stare out the wall of windows that face Bandera and the road to Kerrville just to remind myself why we moved to the hill country of Texas (it might have just been a bonus that we are in the land of Tex-Mex food as well, which is my favorite food). The dogs have a great life. They have a 25 acre park that runs along the Medina River (which is dry in our development but still runs in many places) where they can chase deer, turkeys, have run-ins with armadillos (and I mean literally dog and armadillo both in the air run-ins, and they can play with other dogs----there is a leash requirement, but instead of a traditional leash, we use a collar and a buzzer. It is beautiful to watch them run and we can be satisfied that they are living their best life ever!!

What is it that brings you peace? Writing? Teaching? Birdwatching? Gardening? (Whatever it is, I'd love for you to write to me a comment in Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and tell me).

Happy Communicating----this brings me peace, as well!!
​Shelly