Have any of you busy busy decorators actually been so stressed out that you had to stop working on cakes? I am currently on muscle relaxers and steroid anti inflammitory medicine to cope with my over stressed muscles....what the heck? Does it ever get to a point when you have to say enough is enough? My Mom and business partner was in the hospital 2 weeks ago due to over stressed and was there for 3 days. This is our main source of income and tough to give up right now since most Brides like the summer months to get married, but I dont want to drop dead either! Is there a happy medium somewheres?
You just have to pace yourself. Take a breather every now and then. I tell myself that the day it becomes too stressful for me to handle, that is the day I stop. I love cake, but I also want to be around long enough to be able to continue to eat it. I have a shoulder, two actually, if you need them to cry on. 
It's hard for us working moms to do, but sometimes we have to be forced to allow time for ourselves. Good advice given above .... pace yourself. And it's ok to say "no, I'm booked". I totally agree with "when it becomes too stressful for me to handle, I'll quit...." I actually did that. I was getting divorced and had 2 kids to raise. Even tho' I needed the extra money, it just wasn't fun anymore so I stopped for awhile. When it turns into work and stress, and especially when it's affecting your health .... take time for you.
My shoulders are here anytime, also. And I'll bet you have a lot more shoulders in CC that you realize! You take care of yourself!
And don't lose the passion!
Stress can kill. So many things can happen whether it is physical or mental. I spent many years burning the candle at both ends, have 8 kids, worked full time and had side jobs, and worked on my degree. I started having problems with being out of breathe and the next thing I know I am in the hospital for open heart surgery. Believe me you don't want to go there. It d..... sure stopped me in my tracks! It took something like that for me to realize my life was worth more then making money. So now I pace myself, only do what I feel like I can handle, became more creative with ways to save money, I take power naps, listen to classical music, go for a drive alone, and thank God every evening for my life. Slow down, and just say NO!
Stress shuts down more full time cake businesses than you might think. I know more decorators that have left their jobs because of stress than lawyers that have left theirs.
It's hard for someone making a couple of cakes a month to comprehend the stress of doing this full time. When you are cranking out 30+ weddings every month, you lose a lot of the enjoyment factor and your margin for error is extremely small. Unlike a lot of businesses, you have to finish by the delivery date, it's not like you can deliver a wedding cake 2 days late and give a 10% discount. 
And the more you have on your plate, the tougher it is to get everything done on time and with as much detail as you would like.
When doing this full time, especially if you don't have a large staff you really have to make sure that you are taking slightly less than you can handle every week. Also make sure that you can give yourself at least 2 full days off per month (sometimes we go 60+ days without a day off and it is during those times when you really get stressed). You can't be afraid to turn down business, even if money is tight... your mental health is far more inportant than a couple hundred dollars.
If you are busy enough to really stress out, it's time to raise your prices. This allows you to accept less orders per week and still make the same amount of money (maybe more). The right people will always pay for quality.
Stress in this business is no joke. I watched a very successful company that had contracts with a ton of caterers and resorts close their doors last year just because they wanted out. They didn't sell the business, they just shut down (and this business was probably worth something due to all of their contracts).
Take care of yourself.
Your cakes are so very beautiful, I can see why you are snowed under with orders! However, no amount of money is worth sacrificing your health and sanity for. It's time to re-evaluate what level of cakes you are comfortable working with per week and sticking to it, turning away customers if necessary. Those who really want your cakes will learn to book early! Good luck and take care of yourself!
Thank you all for the supportive words. We have this weekend coming up that is busy with huge weddings that we have to survive, then it gets a bit easier certainly with school starting on the 5th of Sept. and I will have to be home then with my DD during the week and not working on cakes. Ive just got to get my Mom on board with slowing down drastically!!! Back to baking here, and all the other fun things , I will remember to breathe which I have been forgetting to do. Thanks so much!!!
You do very good work! If you are that busy, you really need to raise your prices!
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