Dealing with stress

i need to work on this. seriously. i don't even know how stressed out i am until i'm taking it out on other people and letting it affect the way i work and the way i evaluate life and make decisions. which is not good. i wish i could install some sort of apparatus in my body that would help me determine that i am stressed out and then i could take some time out to do something about it. like look at happy pictures :) or read a good book. i still haven't read my book that i allow myself to read once a year without feeling guilty. in fact, i still haven't finished harry potter. there's too much to do and i make too many plans. so i need to stop trying to fill every second of life with something to do. it's a bad habit i've had since i was little, but it's burning me out and making me not enjoy the activities that plan as much. quality, not quantity. i'm always so afraid that i'm going to miss out on something, but then i participate in so many things that i am missing out on things that i want to do for myself. it's my new day's resolution to work on that. and to take the time to put into motion some of these life projects that i've really been gunning to work on instead of just thinking and talking about them. because that would make me feel better and more productive and i would also get to enjoy the results. these projects often take a back seat to more time sensitive, "pressing" obligations. but i need to not let that happen. i need to make room in my life for a few more interests and inspirations but do it without spreading myself too thin. that's who i am - a jack of all trades or something like that. and previous employers of mine may have disapproved of that, but it's something about myself that i just don't want to change. and i won't :)