->I made a spectacle of myself several times breaking down crying in public because I misjudged my tolerance levels, so don't hesitate to pleasantly beg out of events with lots of kids.
->Also, try to give a thought ahead of time to whether there will be kids at an event or venue that might be otherwise appealing to you like a street festival or a family restaurant.
->Do try to do those activities it's hard to do with kids. I really tried to make myself do this, but didn't think hard enough about what those things were and coddled myself too much. Now, going to a movie, eating in a nice restaurant, hiking a trail, or reading a book in a reasonable amount of time are just distant dreams, and I wish I'd made more of an effort. I am not making this up, it took me over a year to read the last book I completed. It was a three-volume work, but that doesn't make it much less embarrassing.
-When I was going through the bad conflict with my husband on top of ttc, I turned to this piece from Al-Anon. Although it's meant for friends and family of alcoholics, I think it's helpful for anyone going through a crisis situation that they feel is controlling their lives.
http://www.ct-al-anon.org/literature/justfortoday.htm
Take care,
Maggie (in VA)