One of the secret joys of living is not found by rushing from point A to point B, but by inventing
some imaginary letters along the way.
~Douglas Pagels
Stress. It is, literally, a killer.
It will kill your drive, your energy, your attitude, and your day. It will also kill YOU if you don't manage to manage it.
And, stress was a big part of my week, last week. Add to that, I was also a lady in waiting for TOM to arrive, with all the emotional baggage to boot. Overall, I had a good week with my workouts and nutrition, so was hoping that the scale would be nice to me. I talked nice to it, even.
No loss. In fact, that evil scale showed a .5 pound gain! Seriously? I wanted to throw the scale out in the snow. And, I know there are other elements of getting healthy other than the scale to look for, but THIS WEEK I was looking for the scale element.
I could go on and on about what was stressing me out or the significant biological challenges that TOM always brings with him. But, the main thing I learned this past week is that stress must be managed or it will manage you.
The following is nothing brand new, not original with me for sure, but just three simple things anyone can do ~ imaginary letters if you will ~ to keep the inevitable stressors in life from stealing your joy.
Here they are . . . simple and to the point:
- Exercise ~ It pumps up your endorphins, improves your mood, and calms and centers your mind to better problem solve. Its true. You can depend on it.
- Get enough rest ~ period. Stressful events, circumstances and relationships require more of us and we need to recharge. It has been said that the time to rest is when you don't have the time. Don't. Skip. This.
- Talk about it ~ don't bottle stress, it will be like a pop bottle in the freezer...it WILL explode. I promise! A trusted friend is often the best medicine you can buy, and its free. Usually. If not, repeat step 1 to problem solve for new friends ... or find new ones at the park or gym or bicycle rack. :)
There are, undoubtedly, MANY healthy ways to deal with stress. Please share your own imaginary letters that have proven to get you from point A to point B with a smile on your face.
Let's talk,
Cheryl
Awesome post. Great ideas. Exercise and sleep are things I must get in when I'm stressed or I suffer!
ReplyDeleteTalking has been the most beneficial to me. Stress really does kill. Also I have an inspirational quote by my bed so I can see before I sleep and when I wake that says, "Worry is giving a small thing a big shadow."
ReplyDelete@Kat - me too. And, I'm learning to talk about things. So helpful. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDelete@Untypically Jia - I love that quote! Stress is sort of a socially acceptable mental illness, isn't it? Things get so distorted! Thanks for your comment.
Good info. Very true!
ReplyDeleteStress sucks, sucks the life right out of us. This is a great reminder.
you're so right about stress and talking about it really helps... and don't be so hard on yourself for a .5 loss... it's still a loss! not a gain! that's great!!
ReplyDelete@Heidi - And, when we stress about stressing, it's even worse! Hope you are feeling better! Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDelete@Crystal - I'm kind of new to talking about things...have always kept lots of stuff inside. But, you are so right, talking really does help. Thanks for commenting!