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This last week has been a stressful one for me. I can’t pinpoint it all but my emotions have seemed all over the place and I can’t seem to get them into a single file line and its just.not.ok. So, I went to my trusty Goddess gems for direction on stress relief (I know, right… the Goddess in me insists on sharing this information with you. Now you know all of my trusty little secrets).
I rolled. 4, 3, 3. No Yahtzee here folks. Just solving the world’s issues, one roll at a time.
4; Goddess of Protection… I close my eyes to irritating behavior when I know such gentleness helps others endure the inevitable pain of growth. But please? Irritating behavior is all around me and gentleness is such a struggle lately! Can’t I just blow up like a normal person?
3; Goddess of Communication…I feel comfortable with the fact that my emotions are constantly changing. I experience all possible emotions so I can grow. You got that right, sister. Preach on. And my emotions are on warp speed so hang on tight…I’m growing like a weed!
3; Goddess of Communication…I have decided not to make any decisions at this time. I know this is as valid and useful as any decision. Nicely played, oh Goddess. Nicely played. Not making a decision is a decision. You truly are a Goddess, aren’t you?
Now What?
So, I will close my eyes to irritating behavior and not bust out my verbal ammunition (at least not this week) while I work towards understanding that I’m an emotional rollercoaster full of growth, and will not make any hasty decisions while in my unstable “condition”. Is that what you all are getting from this? My son better be thanking his lucky stars I’m the rational, loving, kind, understanding mother I am… this very second.
And, speaking of stress… you knew I was going to get back to that right? Did you know there are two elements of stress? One, the element of stress, often called the “stressor” and Two, is the “reaction” to the stressor. The stressor would be the external factors, such as heat, cold, loud noises, an argument, or internal factors such as, personal thoughts or feelings. The reaction, are things such as headaches, appetite changes, emotional instability (whaaaaat?!), concentration issues, sleep deprivation or increased sleep, smoking or drinking, etc.
Stress Tips
First it’s important to acknowledge that stressors happen, right? You can’t change those. But, you can change how you react to stress. But how? Well, we have to determine what we do when we are stressed. I have emotional instability (as I’ve so graciously shared…lol) and I have increased sleep and isolation. Now that we (I) know how we (I) react, what the heck do we (I) do about it. I know I can’t use it in my insanity defense trial…
Exercise is great stress relief. I swear exercise is always haunting me… just like that darn treadmill with my ironing on it in the bedroom (I really need to get to the ironing, by the way). So, we know exercise releases endorphins… blah blah blah. Do it. Ok? Just get it done. You’ll feel better.
Observation and positivity. Oh, so disregard the end to my last paragraph (the blah blah blah, part). I wasn’t so positive, was I? Start a little list over the next couple of weeks documenting some of that negative self-talk and let’s turn it around. I’ve got some great examples for stress relief if you want to email me for them. I’m talking about the positive part now. Really. I am. Swear.
Meditate. We’ve covered this in past issues. I’ve got a ton of (healthy) ways to clear your mind. Let me know, we can plan something out together.
And finally, take some time for yourself. Please. That’s what I haven’t been doing.
Read a book. Put on your headphones. Take a bath. You deserve it.
And for Goddess sake, try not to stress.