Dealing with stress

I've gone through the valley of the shadow of death and come out the other side. OK maybe that's a little dramatic, but you get the point. Everything seems strange and different and actually a lot has changed around me. I have a new home, a new regime is in charge at work, and I've made new friends and lost some old ones. In the past I had two methods for dealing with the stress: read Jane Austen or go back to school.

This is bigger than Jane so that leaves going back to school. School was a way of putting things aside. Yes, my life isn't so good now but I'll get this degree, certificate, doctorate, etc. and then my life will be better. It never was, but there was always the hope. Kind of like going on a really good first date. However, after finishing a Ph.D. going back to school seems anti-climatic. What do I do for an encore: another doctorate, a bachelor's in basket weaving, an M.D.?

Don't think I haven't thought about it. This is going to sound "sick", but doing my dissertation was one of the most exciting things I've ever done, so why not do it again? Actually there's a million and one reasons, but ultimately it isn't the answer I'm looking this time. I'm looking for a way to live my life right now, not prepare for the future. One lesson that I've learned is that getting a degree doesn't solve all your problems, and my walls are already plastered with enough diplomas.

I don't know the answer to my current miasma, and more importantly, I don't think I have to know right now. I'm searching and maybe I'll find a new path, a new adventure. At least I have a lot of fodder for my blog.