Making Progress....!

It has taken me 27 years to finally see some of the things I really needed to work on or change for the better.  Last fall I was very depressed and there were so many things going on around me that I climbed into my box and didn't come out until the summer.  As I sat in my safe box I began to see some of the things that were causing me to fall into a deep depression and so I started to find ways to fix it.

This is what I have learned:
Issue - too uptight
What I have done to fix this behavior is I have taught myself to repeat these words in my head, "Get down to a child's level and try to understand the reason for their behavior."  I am making little progress, but I notice a change.  My behavior towards my husband is getting better as well, but I have a lot of work to do.  I don't enjoy being a control freak.  By doing so I feel I make everyone in my house feel inadequate.

Issue - OCD
What I have done to fix this behavior is I have purposely made messes and I had to refrain myself from cleaning it up for a week.  Places that most people don't see I keep very organized and that will never change.  I feel I have made great progress and I still need to push myself to not be a neat freak.  The only time my house is spotless is when we have family or friends over.  I keep things picked up somewhat, but I don't scrub anything down unless we have company.  I would say my house gets a good scrub down six times a year.  Also, living in a place were there are tornadoes has helped a lot because a tornado can come and completely destroy our house whether it is clean or not.  "A little mess is a happy home!"

Issue - serious
What I have done to fix this behavior is I have to force myself to smile and let go.  I am concerned with work or more important matters rather than play.  My husband would rather go play then do work.  Most of the time I am not okay with that because I see and get reminded of all the things we need to get done on our to do list every single day.  Don't get me wrong I am very grateful that I am able to stay home and be there for our children.  All four of my children have learned this behavior and I feel like I have taught them something that will either help them in certain situations or make them completely miserable and depressed. 

Issue - impatient
This behavior was an issue that needed to be fixed right away because we were blessed with twins.  Heavenly Father knew what he was doing.  After the twins we moved into a very stressful ward, Spencer became a boss and was required to work long hours and is hardly home, Spencer became Elder Quorum President and when he isn't working he is out fulfilling his calling, I got put into Young Womens for two years and dealing with teenagers was a big job.  Be careful what you pray for because you may end up with a set of twins.  What I have done to fix this behavior is I have decided to not be uptight, too serious, and a clean freak.