Stress. I didn't think about it much, though my body complained of it often (I break out in cold sores).
Stress. I didn't worry about it much, though my body took the toll of it (I gained 35 pounds).
Stress. I didn't talk about it much, though my heart felt the weight of it (I cried more than I knew I had tears).
Stress. I didn't consider it much, though my kids felt the impact more often than I felt comfortable with (I yelled at THEM when THEY were not the source of distress).

I made a huge change. Took a gigantic risk. Worried about the toll it would take on us all.

And came out the winner.
Don't get me wrong; I still have HUGE stress points in my life.
Will I make enough to pay all the bills this month?
How far can I make these groceries stretch?
Have I done the right thing for my kids?How do I get to where I want to be?
How do I lose these last 12 pounds? ... okay, that's not so much a stress as a point of vanity :)

But I find myself able to deal with it a lot more calmly. I haven't had one cold sore, lost a few pounds, only cried in sadness not frustration (ha, I say that like sadness is preferred to stress) and have only lost my patience with my kids a couple times when I really should have just had a nap.

It's amazing what you learn to cope with, what you learn to think is okay or at least livable.
Then you take a step, make a change, get a back bone and realize you're way braver, smarter and resourceful than you ever anticipated.

We're gonna be just fine.