Let's Talk About Stress

OK, I need to talk about stress, partly so that I can de-stress due to my busy, stressful past few days and next few days to come.  Who knows, I might actually take a few days to write this all out, but here it goes.  Stress -- we all experience it from time to time and we should.  If we never experienced any stress and we never had any problems we would be dead because life doesn't happen without stress and problems.  That being said, there is good stress and bad stress.  Good stress is planning your wedding and getting married, buying your first home, having a baby, getting a new job.  These are all great and are short-term stresses that end and about which we all feel good.

So what about the bad stress?  Well, often times these are short-term too, such as the death of a loved one (depending on the circumstances), having to meet a deadline at work, or going for a job interview.  These too are OK and our bodies are designed to handle stress on a short-term basis.  Then, once the stress is gone, our bodies have time to rest and recover from that stress.

Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way.  I can surely attest to that.  I think that it is very common for people to undergo chronic stress in our present society.  Job stress day in and day out, financial stress that doesn't go away, caring for a sick loved one, getting a divorce and dealing with all the repercussions that can go with that.  These are long-term stresses that wear away at the body, the mind, and the spirit.

Now, I am not planning on discussing the physiological aspects of stress, the chemicals that the body releases and their effects.  That is important, but I want to talk about it from a real level of dealing with it.  I have personally been dealing with long-term stress for a couple of years now in the form of financial stress.  I have literally known what it is like to go through each and every month not paying my rent on time, running so low on groceries that we hardly had anything to eat, getting those nasty red cards from the hydro company.  It has been really tough to catch up and over time it wears away at a person.

Fortunately, I have good coping mechanisms and I handle stress well.  That coupled with a healthy diet and exercise (a.k.a. a healthy lifestyle) has seen me through the worst of it in fairly good shape physically, mentally, and emotionally.  If it wasn't for the healthy lifestyle, I can honestly say that I would have had a nervous breakdown many months ago.

Of course, things are getting better, but slowly.  I used to homeschool my girls, but now they are in school so that I can spend more time working and improve my financial situation.  Thankfully, they really enjoy school and I have been able to really start catching up on bills and other things that have been outstanding.  Whew!  However, I have been able to experience first hand that basic of all stresses, the base of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the need to provide the very basics of life.  That level of stress is beyond terrible while you are experiencing it and when you are, it is sometimes very difficult to care for yourself.

I guess that's why I am writing this.  Sometimes during the stress I have felt very alone, not being able to imagine that anyone else is in this situation.  I know that isn't true, but there it is.  I know there are others out there who are experiencing financial stress and other types of long-term stress and I want to send the message that if you are experiencing stress, whether short-term or long-term, please, please still make the time to care for yourself.  Even if it feels that you are spending time doing something you just don't have the time for, do it anyway.  In the end it will give you more energy, help you focus better on the task at hand, and help to improve your situation overall.

If it hadn't been for my ability to run and to eat a very healthy, often high raw diet, I would be so much the worse for wear.  I am also very good at taking negative energy, that poor me and the fear that goes along with financial stress, and channeling it into moving forward one step at a time and getting done the things I must get done to improve my situation.  Sometimes I feel like giving up and giving in, but I always manage to pull myself out of it and life is looking better than it has in a long time.  I encourage anyone else experiencing stress to care for themselves even when it feels like the last thing they should be doing because really and truly, it is the first thing you should be doing.

Find you passion.  Love your passion.  Live your passion.