Back to Work Struggle with Anxiety Update

I know that many of you come to my blog just for the recipes. If that is you, you can skip this post. I won’t be offended, I promise. For the rest of you, many of you have been around these parts for almost 13 years (holy Hannah!) and know that I struggle with anxiety and have been known to flail around a bit to figure out where I belong. I figured that some of you might wonder how I’ve been anxiety-wise since going back to work (and buying a business no less).

With a month of business ownership under my belt, I can tell you that going back to work has been amazing for my mental health. I love my store so, so much. I also love the ladies that work part-time to help me at the store. Yes, there have been things I’ve had to learn and things I’m unsure how to do but overall, I love it.

Writing that out is a bit of a surprise. I mean, I hoped that would be the way it turned out but I wasn’t sure it would be the case. That little voice in my head said that maybe I couldn’t do it, maybe it was just too far out of my wheelhouse and maybe I should stick to something I’d done before. Thankfully, over the years I’ve learned that the little voice is a rude little liar that can’t be trusted. I decided to take the plunge!

Every morning I look forward to going to work knowing that I will likely learn something new, meet great new people and stretch my skills. Who knew that sitting on my chair with Cooper every day with no human interaction wasn’t THAT great for me mentally.

Now Cooper’s anxiety is a whole other ball of wax. He likes being a shop dog but he is scared he is going to miss something interesting so he refuses to nap. A full day of trotting around the store, begging for pets, barking at delivery men and getting stepped on (because he snuck under the curtain on the dressing room) makes him one tired pup! We get home and he goes straight to his dog bed and starts snoring.

So long story long, Cooper and I are both doing great. We’re a bit unsure of somethings and a bit tired but we’re happy and healthy. Even Evan says “Mom, you are happier now that you have your store!” and that makes my heart even happier.

Remember, if you struggle with anxiety, you are not alone! You can always reach out to me here, on social media or via email.