Dealing with Freelancer's Stress

I mentioned that my son’s medical program would interfere with my business because it required a big time investment on my part along with other things. Add to that managing the usual stuff like the other kids, work (or lack thereof), household responsibilities, on and on.
After two weeks of the program, I reached a breaking point. Like, the car ran out of gas plus it needed a serious washing as it looked battered and worn despite its young age. Thank goodness, my clients understood my availability. But that didn’t keep me from feeling bad about not working full-time.
So I had to make adjustments to my work and life so I could feel less guilty, prevent stress overload, and serve my clients as best as I could during this time. Here’s what worked for me:

• Email clients: I let them know of the situation and explained I needed to make priority adjustments. All of them understood.
• Take care of quick hits ASAP: One client sends me five minute editing tasks. So when she sends one in, I do it right there as it’s as fast as reading an email. Plus, it feels great to have one thing done.
• Exercise: I stick to my tennis drill and match schedule. I had to find a sub for one match, but made the rest of them. Thank goodness I have a sweet dog. She forces me to take a walk mid-day. If I don’t, then I’ll spend more time cleaning up after her than walking her.
• Listen to music: I’ve been listening to more music in the past month than I have in the past year. As a deaf person, I don’t have a passion for music like most folks do. But I’ve put in more hours on the road than usual and my car comes with an adapter that plugs right into my iPod. Furthermore, I discovered a iTunes lyrics feature that revived my enjoyment of music. The hard part… discovering new songs.
• Stay on track with the family: Although family is the reason I’m spending more time away from the office than usual, we still have our usual daily activities and goings-on. Gotta keep moving with those as they keep things consistent. Despite the unusual schedule, I managed to work on a jigsaw puzzle and played a couple of board games with my family.
• Cut out tasks where possible. I cut back on blogging and visiting blogs (I know… I hate missing out on community), but these will always be there. The web site won’t come crashing and my blog buddies don’t take attendance. I also limit my non-profit organization officer duties to urgent and time sensitive things. The rest can wait as I have all year.

Just thinking of the week ahead (last week before school starts) overwhelms me. Meetings, registration, several gatherings, meet the teacher, and on and on. I check my calendar to see what’s on the agenda for the next day. But then I pull back and focus on here and now while preparing for whatever comes early tomorrow.
How do you pull through stressful times?