From my range qualification last week. Notice how good the shots are…of course, it was just a .22, so it wasn’t that hard. We had a lot of fun at the CCH class and on the range, and I learned a lot. Education is never a bad thing!

I’m finally caught up with school…procrastination sucks. I’d make a vow never to do it again, but I’d really be lying, so we’ll leave it at that.

A thought on stress management at work….finding a way to relax during the day is really an imperative if you work in a fast-paced and stressful environment. Americans take less vacation time than they ever have before and are working more and more hours and are more stressed and less happy than they’ve ever been. Many of us may not be in the position to be able to reduce the amount of work that we do, so we have to find a way to cope with the situation in which we find ourselves.

When I began my first corporate job, I noticed that almost everyone ate their lunch at their desk and just continued to work or passed time on the computer for a while before diving back into work. Naturally, I followed suit (“when in Rome,” yes?). Within three months after starting the job, I found myself having headaches on the right side of my head and a serious case of eye strain. Unfortunately, it took me another four years or so to figure out that what I really needed was some time away from my desk, away from the ringing phone and chatter.

Just fifteen minutes or half an hour of quiet in the middle of a work day can do so much to help you re-center yourself, calm yourself down, and refocus so that you’re able to work to the best of your potential for the rest of the day. Whether you’re sitting outside, running to the coffee shop, or taking a walk, time to yourself is so important.

I like to take “car naps.” As long as it’s not too hot, I’ll take my lunch hour and kick back in my driver’s seat and sleep for a while in total silence. During some of the cooler summer days, I’d roll my windows down to let a cross breeze though, but it also let added noise in too. These days, with it being nice and cool, I can leave the windows up and have the fan blowing a little air through the car cabin. After an hour of uninterrupted, quiet time to clear my mind and relax, I find myself much better put together for the rest of the day.

You don’t have to nap; just find some time to remove yourself from the stressful situation, and you’ll be much more clear when you have to jump back in;)