Removing stressors from your life should be a top priority for your "getting healthy" goals. You will hear me say this repeatedly: Life is too short to be stressed out all of the time. You likely have heard at some point that stress is a leading cause of death in the United States; and our stressors here are different from stressors in other parts of the world. I have always thought that to be interesting; that we do not face things like famine, war or not having access to clean water or food as much in this country, and yet we have some of the most stressed out people in the world!
My journey to de-stress started in 2017, but really hit home for me last year. I was working a job that I was absolutely miserable in. Every day I woke up defeated and trying to convince myself not to call off. During the work day I felt my blood pressure rise and fall as if it were on a roller coaster. Heading home was spent venting and just generally unhappy.
I could physically feel the stress; in my shoulders, my chest, my head...and at 35, I was afraid I would have a stroke or a heart attack. I tried meditating which helped greatly in the moment, but I was unable to spend the whole work day in meditation. I employed various other forms of coping mechanisms, but ultimately leaving that position was the only real fix.
I knew that to be happy in my work life, and ultimately life, I needed freedom; freedom to focus on what I wanted, freedom to set my own hours and my own pace, freedom to do what I loved. It motivated me even more toward my goal of starting a wellness center. I changed positions to one that gave me more freedom and drastically reduced my stress levels. It was a major step in the right direction for me.
Reducing that stressor and feeling the positive effects physically, mentally and emotionally from that move, branched out in to other areas of my life and becoming stress free (as much as possible) became a major life goal. Freeing up time to actually enjoy life, time, daylight, relationships, nature...because none of us knows how much time we have, we should strive to leave this life with no death-bed regrets.
I started looking at ways to reduce expenses to free up money for experiences. I stopped watching the news and stopped yelling at the TV. I stopped paying so much attention to things that were going on in the world that were beyond my control. I unplugged from social media and all of the hatred and vitriol there-in. I started taking better care of my body; and I dreamed. I dreamed of a better future and of traveling and experiences.
My husband and I started spending quality time together, not in front of the TV or phone screen, just talking. We talked about hopes, dreams, plans, things that were most important to us. We made a pact to get out and enjoy as many activities over the summer as we could, so that when winter came, we had sunny memories to look back on and keep us warm. These changes have had the most obviously positive impact on my overall health.
My advice to you, is for your sake, for the sake of your health and life, make a list of all of your stressors and start kicking them to the curb. Replace them with non-stressors. Unplug from social media and enjoy life. Put down your cell phone and spend quality time with loved ones. Start taking the scenic route to life. The only person standing in your way, is you!
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