It's beginning to look a lot like chaos

This past week hasn't been the best.  Firstly, my boiler broke down at the start of the week.  As if that wasn't bad enough, my insomnia made a comeback and my sleep routine was seriously disrupted.  So then I sat down to write my Christmas cards for posting, only to discover that my address book has been misplaced, and still not found, causing a great deal of stress. Although I'm beginning to wonder if a lot of people have lost my address as well, as there has been a very minimal amount of cards dropping through the letterbox...!

Then yesterday, right on cue, I took my annual festive season cold which usually makes an appearance every year, either before/during/after Christmas.  My throat is on fire and I'm feeling decidedly under par today.  Bad timing, as there is still so much to do.  I still need to find that address book, and I want to start wrapping presents before the end of the day.

Last week wasn't all bad though.  I went to the office Christmas lunch for the first time in about 3 or 4 years and ended up not only enjoying it very much, but also staying on for a little while afterwards for a nice relaxing chat afterwards with a smaller group of friends/colleagues.

When you don't go to anything, people often misinterpret this as being "anti-social".  It is hard to explain social anxiety and introversion to people who don't understand it.  For some people, party nights are the highlight of the year.  For me, they are a danger zone of noise, anxiety, fear and over-stimulation, and that's why I avoid them.  My ideal social environment is spending time with a small group in a more relaxed situation where you can hear yourself talk and think.

When faced with living on my own, I never thought I would enjoy sitting in silence.  I thought I'd always have to fill they days and nights with background noise, to fill the void of mum not being there.  What I didn't imagine was that I would end up treasuring peace and quiet.  Particularly at this time of year, when the stresses of day-to-day life seem to soar.  Talking of which, I'm off to search for that address book...