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POSITIVITY AND INSPIRATION FOR ANYONE AND EVERYONE

Posts tagged stress

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Our current “pedal to the metal” lifestyles produce chronic stress (I do hate that catch-all term, but it’s true here) and tension … which can easily lead to physical and mental health issues.  This high-strung lifestyle also stunts creativity, and crowds space for friendships, recreation, spirituality, and time for kids and significant others.  No bueno! What are we doing to ourselves here!? Take a moment to imagine that you are sitting in your rocking chair on your front porch in your old age.  Do you think you are going to be wishing you spent more time working or doing housework?  Probably not.  Do you want to be sitting there wishing you spent more time with your family, relaxing, hanging out with friends and appreciating all of the beauty that the people and places around us have to offer?  You bet.  Now, please, please, PLEASE, don’t go quit your job.  Don’t walk into your bosses office and tell them you are bailing on the rest of your responsibilities today because you’d prefer to go sip pina coladas on a roof-deck somewhere with your friends.  That is NOT the answer.  This is all about BALANCE people.  BALANCE. It is so easy for us to get caught up in all of the responsibilities we have, or perceive we have.  It’s easy to get lost in the pressures that come with living and working modern-day America.  We all have to work.  We all have to make money in order to survive and we all have things going on in our personal lives that present even greater challenges on top of these surface level ones.  As contradictory as this may sound… It IS actually important to be striving to be better and do better at all times.  HOWEVER, with this striving there MUST be balance.  Work hard.  Advance your career.  Add figures to your salary and more accomplishments to your already lengthy resume, but don’t lose yourself and what’s really important in life in the mix. Remember that rocking chair image from a minute ago?  What’s going to be important to you as you sit there? It’s important to notice if you find yourself constantly in a state of chaos.  Stop.  Breathe and be open to asking the  question “why am I feeling this way right now?”  Be open to letting that answer come to you.  Don’t seek it out.  I guarantee you will be mislead.  Just be open and have faith that the answer will come when it should because it will, and then you can make (or not make) your personal adjustments accordingly.  Sometimes a break from your routine is all you need.  It could be a minute, two minutes, an hour or a week’s vacation.  That part is up to you to both figure out and logistically manage.  For now start small. Acknowledge that sometimes little breaks can make BIG differences.  Promise yourself RIGHT NOW that you will take more breaks.  You work hard. Your brain works hard.  Your body works hard.  Your psyche works hard.  You ALL deserve a break. You’re probably asking: how the heck do I take a break when I am already over my head in work, school, bills, obligations to family and friends …? First, try breaking for a brief period of time.  Maybe a minute or less.  That’s all …. less than a minute’s break can make a BIG difference!  These tiny breaks will accumulate and leave lasting impressions on your brain, psyche, spirit and your existence in general. Rewind: In order to do this you have to first give yourself permission to break in the first place.  Remind yourself that you deserve a little rest because you DO, regardless of what that inner critic inside your head is telling you.  It’s important for your heath and your productivity will actually increase if you give yourself  even a 30 second vacation.  It’s important to renounce everything else for this minute or two.  Remind yourself that it’s only a minute. If you can (this one’s my absolute favorite!) take a mental holiday. Woo hoo! Vacation time!  Remember or imagine a setting (place, person, situation, etc.).  It can be anything, but it must be comforting and invoke feelings of calmness and happiness inside you.  It doesn’t have to be realistic.  It doesn’t have to be a memory.  Just imagine something comforting and relaxing.  Then, GO there.  Go all the way there.  Maybe just for a minute or two but GO.  Immerse yourself in that space.  The feelings this imagery will invoke in you will produce lasting calming effects. Remember, all it takes it a little faith and open-mindedness to possibly open the door to a practice that can change your life.  Go for it!  Much love, relaxation, and peace to you all.

Our current “pedal to the metal” lifestyles produce chronic stress (I do hate that catch-all term, but it’s true here) and tension … which can easily lead to physical and mental health issues.  This high-strung lifestyle also stunts creativity, and crowds space for friendships, recreation, spirituality, and time for kids and significant others.  No bueno! What are we doing to ourselves here!?

Take a moment to imagine that you are sitting in your rocking chair on your front porch in your old age.  Do you think you are going to be wishing you spent more time working or doing housework?  Probably not.  Do you want to be sitting there wishing you spent more time with your family, relaxing, hanging out with friends and appreciating all of the beauty that the people and places around us have to offer?  You bet. 

Now, please, please, PLEASE, don’t go quit your job.  Don’t walk into your bosses office and tell them you are bailing on the rest of your responsibilities today because you’d prefer to go sip pina coladas on a roof-deck somewhere with your friends.  That is NOT the answer.  This is all about BALANCE people.  BALANCE.

It is so easy for us to get caught up in all of the responsibilities we have, or perceive we have.  It’s easy to get lost in the pressures that come with living and working modern-day America.  We all have to work.  We all have to make money in order to survive and we all have things going on in our personal lives that present even greater challenges on top of these surface level ones.  As contradictory as this may sound… It IS actually important to be striving to be better and do better at all times.  HOWEVER, with this striving there MUST be balance. 

Work hard.  Advance your career.  Add figures to your salary and more accomplishments to your already lengthy resume, but don’t lose yourself and what’s really important in life in the mix. Remember that rocking chair image from a minute ago?  What’s going to be important to you as you sit there?

It’s important to notice if you find yourself constantly in a state of chaos.  Stop.  Breathe and be open to asking the  question “why am I feeling this way right now?”  Be open to letting that answer come to you.  Don’t seek it out.  I guarantee you will be mislead.  Just be open and have faith that the answer will come when it should because it will, and then you can make (or not make) your personal adjustments accordingly. 

Sometimes a break from your routine is all you need.  It could be a minute, two minutes, an hour or a week’s vacation.  That part is up to you to both figure out and logistically manage.  For now start small.

Acknowledge that sometimes little breaks can make BIG differences.  Promise yourself RIGHT NOW that you will take more breaks.  You work hard. Your brain works hard.  Your body works hard.  Your psyche works hard.  You ALL deserve a break.

You’re probably asking: how the heck do I take a break when I am already over my head in work, school, bills, obligations to family and friends …? First, try breaking for a brief period of time.  Maybe a minute or less.  That’s all …. less than a minute’s break can make a BIG difference!  These tiny breaks will accumulate and leave lasting impressions on your brain, psyche, spirit and your existence in general.

Rewind: In order to do this you have to first give yourself permission to break in the first place.  Remind yourself that you deserve a little rest because you DO, regardless of what that inner critic inside your head is telling you.  It’s important for your heath and your productivity will actually increase if you give yourself  even a 30 second vacation.  It’s important to renounce everything else for this minute or two.  Remind yourself that it’s only a minute.

If you can (this one’s my absolute favorite!) take a mental holiday. Woo hoo! Vacation time!  Remember or imagine a setting (place, person, situation, etc.).  It can be anything, but it must be comforting and invoke feelings of calmness and happiness inside you.  It doesn’t have to be realistic.  It doesn’t have to be a memory.  Just imagine something comforting and relaxing.  Then, GO there.  Go all the way there.  Maybe just for a minute or two but GO.  Immerse yourself in that space.  The feelings this imagery will invoke in you will produce lasting calming effects.

Remember, all it takes it a little faith and open-mindedness to possibly open the door to a practice that can change your life.  Go for it!  Much love, relaxation, and peace to you all.

Filed under break psychology self help stress help quote picture deserve recover recovery life relax anxiety humanity love self love