Remember when we watched adults when we were little? It felt like we could not wait to grow up. They had so much freedom and money. They could do anything they wanted whenever they felt like it.
Now that we are adults we think back to how easy it was when we were little. How few were our responsibilities – no worries about earning money; we could play whenever we wanted and tuck ourselves into a corner and nap at will.
Stress is helpful in many ways:
- Gives us the final adrenaline push when the project is needed
- Allows us to fit in another “thing” to do when it will be helpful to a situation
- Gets us out of the way of a bus coming straight for use
- Pushes the buttons of completion when it is critical for completion
Then the stress becomes a habit and it keeps us awake at night and our thoughts churning when we really need to rest.
There are certain rules for health, clarity, patience, reasonableness, that our physical bodies have that we break often. I see this all the time when I start working with a client:
- Sleep habits that keep us more tired than restful
- Eating habits that include more alcohol and carbs than we need
- Little exercise and sitting at our desks for hours
- Weekend athletes that wreak havoc with our bodies and our confidence
- Few breaks during our work day and little hydration other than coffee or caffeinated drinks
- Shallow breathing that becomes a habit
Here are some body needs that even the most committed and busy of us need to acknowledge for our personal health:
- Sleep is needed – 6-8 hours per night – if you are getting less you need to take a look at why
- Water to hydrate the body so our cells can operate in a way that allows good metabolic flow
- Breathing deeply and with intention so your body knows you are safe and your cells have the oxygen it needs for health
- Clear non chaotic thinking with positive intentional thoughts that serve you and those around you
- Time off whether it is an hour; a day; a weekend; a week
- Non device time – interruptions that skew thinking; ease; planning; and completion of work and thoughts
There are no exceptions to these rules for long time health and less stress.
You can mess with your body, mind and behavioral systems for a period of time, but if you ignore the needs of your body, you will be unwell.
It is as simple as that and as complicated as that…you need to take care of your mind, body and spirit in order to be well and confident. If you don’t have some sort of systematic way to support yourself, you will begin to degrade in so many ways.
“Natalie, you are scaring the you know what out of me!!”
Good. I want you to be well and thriving.
Stress exists in all of our lives. We don’t need to create more by the habits we have developed along the way.
Some of the new habits my clients have begun to adapt – and not all in the same day – are:
- No carbs after 8:00pm at night
- Leaving their devices in the dining room and not next to them while they sleep
- Breathing breaks during the day where they just breathe easily, deeply, fully
- Reading the labels of the food they are eating and intentionally purchase what is good not just convenient
- Putting a sign on their office door asking for uninterrupted time
- No texting times during the day
- Certain times to read and respond to emails
- Sending cards to people they care about telling them how important they are to them
- Saying no to new projects just to get recognition
- Saying yes to time that would bring pleasure
- Setting a device alarm and getting up and walking around 3-6 times a day
- Self-massage at their desk on arms, neck, knee caps etc
- Always having water with them in a refillable container so we stop filling the dumps with plastic bottles
There are so many things that are easy and immediate you can do FOR YOU that will lessen your stressors and increase your confidence.
Get started right this minute with your new breathing habit. Your body and brain will thank you.
Nothing in you can easily exist without oxygen and water. NOTHING.
TRY THIS: Stand up, wander to a window and just stare out the window while breathing deeply and drinking a lovely bit of water. I guarantee your body will operate with less stress and more clarity immediately. Do this often.
Let me know if I can be a support and help to you.
Some changes seem impossible and that is why my clients seek a coach to help them with changes they know they want to make. When you allow support, it is so much easier, so much less stress, increased confidence and you feel powerfully pleased with yourself.
To your success,
