What can you do today?
“Every day do something
that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.”
~ Doug Firebaugh
Are you searching for what you already have?
“All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers, too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself.” ~ Ralph Ellison
This quote can speak to various areas of life, and one of them definitely includes wellness. When you’re not feeling your best, what do you do? Look for someone else to give you the answer, right? Because you don’t think you can possibly put your own self on the right track.
I know that’s what I did. Kept wishing someone – anyone – would figure out what I needed and let me know. And, to a partial extent, I got that when I finally got really great resources who knew health … real health, not masking disease. But the other part simply had to be me.
It was me who had the answers I most needed. And my answers worked well for me. Just as your answers will work best for you.
If you’re struggling with feeling your best, consider listening to your intuition – that gut feeling, your heart, those little ideas that pop up in your head, the signs you come across during your day. Are you noticing? Are you being aware? Or are you brushing them aside because they don’t sport white lab coats and multiple letters after their names?
That sort of information might just be what you need to get back on track. Listen. Investigate. Give it a try. Don’t immediately think – well, I can’t do that anyhow. How much do you want to be well? How much time are you giving up to being unwell? How much of your energy, time and finances are being drained currently because of how you feel?
It’s time to try something different. Your body’s wisdom is right there, if you access it. Get off the virtual treadmill for a bit, and listen in. When you do, you might be surprised what valuable information you can gain that will help lead you to being well.
How are you reacting?
“Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.”
~ John Maxwell
How to create your own stress cures
You now should know what causes you stress and what causes you to feel good in general – or feel better if stress is hitting. If not, go back two weeks, and begin anew! It’s never too late.
Take your two lists. Compare. Could some of the items that calm you or make you happy be specifically used to antidote the items that cause you stress? See if there are matching pairs that will help tame the stress you currently have.
For example, your co-worker makes you seriously crazy at times. When that happens the next time, what can you use from your list to restore your sense of peace? Or make you laugh! Or whatever.
As promised last week, let’s talk about the biggest key to handling stress: Your brain. Your mindset. How you choose to think (once you’re aware of the thoughts you keep internal as well as the ones you then express).
Much of the time, you actually can choose to be stressed out or you can choose to be calm. There is no requirement to allow life to stress you out. There generally are only a few times in life when stress is hard to escape. Serious illness, death of a loved one, financial crisis. And even those can be mitigated with your mindset.
But when you get stressed out by, say, a driver who doesn’t perform as you’d prefer, that’s a choice. Ignore, let him/her get out of your way, smile, let it go. It’s not worth it. As a bonus, you know what happens? You’ll rarely experience idiot drivers!
Why choose to risk your health on things that won’t matter in a short time anyhow? The driver will move on down the road … or you will. Your co-worker will head back to his/her cubicle … and you’ll be leaving work and heading home again. Walk away. Breathe. Focus on what’s good.
More suggestions to add to your own:
Laugh
Laugh about things where you can. Sometimes, given the right mindset (again), even the darn &%@!# can be funny.
Vent
Vent … but briefly, please! How I’d have you do this as your coach is called clearing. Brief, intense, put it all out on the table, exaggerate, talk about how wrong/unfair/ridiculous it is, get sympathy. Then … let … it … go. Those few minutes are enough to clear out the built up frustration without causing more.
Move
Movement alleviates those nasty stress hormones, replacing them with ones that will balance and uplift you. Do whatever you enjoy, and throw yourself into it.
Take 5
Take a break. Walk away from whatever is bugging you, and go do anything else. Read, sing, garden, dance, draw, meditate, etc. Don’t carry the issue with you, fuming about it. That’s not going to help.
Why do you want to bother with all this? Because the short list of what can happen if you allow stress to rule includes: rapid heart rate, higher blood pressure, diminished immune system, risk of damaging brain cells, nervousness, depression, increased sensitivity to pain and a worsening of any illness you may be experiencing.
Remember there is no one right way. There is your way … and everyone else’s. If it helps you, it’s the right one.
