MetaChat - what do you do when you're on pins and needles?

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13 January 2010

what do you do when you're on pins and needles? I've been waiting all week for a Very Important phone call - to hear if my husband got a job or not. I am going insane. Halp.→[More:]
the too long, hope you read version:

He lost his job in September, right after we'd signed a lease on a place in Wisconsin. He moved up there, I stayed in Illinois for my job. (We were living with his dad anyway.) If my husband gets this job, I can quit mine and we can finally live together again. Plus we'll have money and stuff.

But the whole interview process has been dragging on for weeks and I am in tears every day. He is applying for other stuff, it's not like this is the only job in the world, but ugh, it would be such a godsend right now.

post by: desjardins at: 21:20 | 16 comments

Clean. Clean like you've never cleaned before. Remember to wear gloves.

After you are done have a nice bath and relax.

posted by gomichild 13 January | 21:25

I'm with gomichild, I clean and clean and clean. Then if I am still stressing after all of the cleaning, I bake something, then clean up after the baking. If I am STILL stressing after that, I drink wine and smoke a cigarette and call a friend to chew the fat. Good luck, desjardins. I really hope your husband gets this job. I am sending good vibes from North Carolina.

posted by msali 13 January | 21:32

Yes, cleaning is good. Especially if it's cleaning out - your sock drawer or a bookshelf or that drawer in the kitchen with all the junk in it. That kind of cleaning always absorbs me and it feels good every time you see the improved space. I hope he gets the job ... holding good thoughts for you!

posted by Kangaroo 13 January | 22:01

What gomichild said. Not only does exerting control over your environment provide a psychological pressure valve, the physical fatigue will be sedative.

How many other neurotic coping mechanisms are actually beneficial?

posted by Joe Beese 13 January | 23:29

What I *should* do is figure out what feeling or fear I'm so anxious to avoid, and then try to make it safe enough for me to actually feel it.

What I *actually* do is play stupid computer games until I break down. (I guess the charitable interpretation is that I'm using the video-game escapism to protect myself until I'm ready to face my actual feelings.)

posted by occhiblu 13 January | 23:45

((hugs))

posted by special-k 14 January | 00:02

Do what I do if I'm especially nervous about something and go for a nice walk (assuming you live in part of the world where you can do so without freezing off important bits of your anatomy)? I think there's something about getting out of the house which my subconscious seems to interpret as getting away from whatever's bothering me.

However, if it's no weather for brass monkeys then I n-th everyone else with the whole cleaning schtick. If you're going to be in an awful mood anyways, why not pile it on and clean something horrible in the house at the same time? I vote for cleaning the oven.

Good luck, duck! Hang in there!

posted by ninazer0 14 January | 00:12

I had a maybe Cali trip (woo hoo, in Cali with a job!) turn into a maybe Mississippi trip (yeah, Winter and oysters!); I read, watch movies, eat, sort stuff/do chores, and eat to fill the in between wonder time.

I also remind myself that it is not the end all to anything, and not to fret about it.

posted by buzzman 14 January | 01:38

You can be a Buddhist about it and experience the waiting in all its variations, especially the wish to be experiencing something different.

posted by Obscure Reference 14 January | 07:18

Good luck to your husband, desjardins!

We are in similar limbo and will be for weeks (months?) - we just submitted an offer on a house yesterday. Problem is, it's a short sale so the timeline is unknown. We have to keep looking in the meantime, since we only have 2-3 months to close and we may have to rescind the offer if it seems like it will take too long. My body doesn't handle stress well (jaw/headaches) so I am not looking forward to being in pain for the foreseeable future.

posted by misskaz 14 January | 09:41

Retroactive good luck, desjardins and Mr. desjardins!

posted by Atom Eyes 14 January | 11:22

Good luck to you and your husband, desjardins! Can't offer advice as I too am terrible at waiting in suspense, which is happening monthly at the moment... :(

posted by altolinguistic 14 January | 11:30

I missed this yesterday --- I hope you're getting good news, desjardins, and until then, all the best!

posted by Elsa 14 January | 12:52

Origami flowers. I make a whole bouquet.

And find something to laugh over. See if you can find a comedian you like on GooTube or Hulu and just set aside time to laugh.

posted by lysdexic 14 January | 13:15

You can be a Buddhist about it and experience the waiting in all its variations, especially the wish to be experiencing something different.

I've been thinking about this all day. Thank you.

posted by desjardins 14 January | 21:09

(no news yet)

posted by desjardins 14 January | 21:10

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