Cheer The F*^k Up~And stop stressing

I don’t swear…ask my kids

I sometimes swear…ask my husband

     Sometimes stress can take over and words will flow out of my mouth. The words I never let my kids say growing up.  I never let them say the word “Hate or Shut Up”.  So you can imagine swearing was completely out of the realm of being ok.  

     However different kinds of stresses can bring out many emotions that cause you to let go of some strong principles  Not only swearing (loudly) but also putting blame on people who don’t always deserve to be blamed.  Someone may have no idea that they put pressure on you or did something to make you feel this strongly. You need to confront this person immediately.  You will usually find out that they had no idea and will do whatever they can to help or apologize. And if they don’t see that, you don’t need them in your life for a while.  Sounds pretty austere, but if it is going to put you in a better place emotionally than so be it.  

     Many stresses are brought on by outside circumstances.  The way that you deal with them is up to you.  If it is something that is out of your control, all you can do is take a step back and take a deep breath.  Yes, that sounds very textbook to hear, but if you think about it, stopping to breathe allows you to rethink about your reaction to something, something that you can’t do anything about.  I mean really, if the situation is out of your hands, then let it go until there is something you can do.

     If your stress is brought on by something that you can control, by all means swear or yell and then take action.  There are so many ways to get through whatever the cause.  Talk to the source, get a list checked off, figure out what part of your stress can be relieved first.  Then piece by piece the feeling will slowly fade.

     Everyone is living a different life and your worlds are far apart in many ways.  Even the best of friends can each be feeling stresses of different levels. Various aspects of life, including health, employment, family relationships, relocation, marital status, financial matters, travel experiences, physical discomfort, emotional distress, can all contribute to a range of feelings.  I could go on and on to the causes but let’s talk about the effect.  Others seeing your not yourself.

     Which brings us to outsiders looking in.  Family, friends, co workers…Do not let anyone tell you that your stress is not valid.  Everyone has their own threshold and you should never hear that your stress is not validated.  There are so many positive life events that are exciting, but will not always be easy.  A wedding, a new baby, a new home, a vacation.  These things are valid stressors.  They are not the moments in life that bring hurtfulness, loneliness, helplessness, but they absolutely are valid reasons to get a little anxious.  

     One last stress that I would like to touch on…if you are a parent, you will feel a little bit of worry each and every day.  From the day your beautiful baby enters the world, through tough school days, college applications and every decision that is made after.  Sometimes it is a little part of you and sometimes it is your entire soul.  You always want the best for them and their happiness is your goal.  You will stress when they stress. You will stress when they don't even know they should be.  Just always keep in mind that they will be ok.  You have done your best and they know that as well. 

Whatever the reason is for your stress, take a step back and put everything in perspective.  There has to be one positive in your life for every negative.  That one positive will get you through.  I promise.  Lean on loved ones, ask for help…CRY!  Good or bad, you will feel the push to start again.  Oh, and also, BREATHE.

And Cheer The Fuck Up!

     

     

 

Find Joy In The Journey

I just want to preface this with the fact that I was never any sort of athlete or even a coordinated individual until after I had kids.  😉

Challange

     There are many different personal journeys that you could be taking.  The journey that I am recently finding my joy in is my health journey.  My husband and I have always made our health a priority.  We have a mix of diabetes and heart health that are against us.  We have worked hard to create a beautiful family that we plan to be with as long as we can possibly can.  

     Our kids see us as being active, as well as our grandkids, and that is important for them to see.  We were challenged by them to a fitness competition this past December.  Everyone received a calendar for the Month.  All that needed to be done was 30 minutes or 3 miles every day…3 for 31…easy right?  Well, easier said than done.  Life gets in the way.  Kids, work, travel, sickness, pain…Life.  But all that needed to be done was to move your body.  You don’t need to run or bike or strength train, you can do yoga, you can stretch, you can walk.  You can play with your kids, you can hike, just move your body.  

     If you start moving your body and keep it moving when you are young, it will be easier to keep going.  If you didn’t start when you were in your 20’s or 30’s, you can start in your 40’s and 50’s.  It is never too late.  Believe it or not you can even start much later in life.  It may take longer to feel strong and be comfortable, however you can do it, and it will make a difference in your emotional being as well as your physical being. 

                                                            Graceful

     Grow old gracefully, or sometimes not so gracefully.  It doesn’t always look graceful working out as a 58 year old.  It is not pretty.  When you get to be 58, you get to the point when it doesn’t matter what you look like at the gym.  It just matters that you’re there and staying strong, or working off some anxiety.

                                                       Fortunate

     Eric and I are fortunate in that we have role models to look up to.  We didn’t get this way on our own.  Erics mom is 80 years old.  On any given day you can find her biking, walking and best of all kayaking.  She, with her strong will, raises and lowers her kayak, by herself, on and off of her car.  The first time I watched her do this I offered to help.  There was no way she was letting me. “I need to be able to do this by myself!”   She has always been a very active person!  I took her on a trip overseas 11 years ago and I personally could barely keep up to her.  To know her is to appreciate the amount of health that she radiates.  This is a great example of someone not giving in to growing older.

Optimisim

     My dad will be 86 next month.  I always remember my dad on Sunday mornings leaving to go play tennis.  He always kept his health a priority through the many ups and downs life gave him.  Up until not very long ago I would call him and he would say “Hi Honey, I’m on the treadmill, can I call you back?”  The smile on my face when I would hear that made me push myself more.  He has recently had some issues that have required him to slow down a little bit physically, but his mental health is 100%. His optimism amazes me every day.  Mental health comes from strength within which also can stem from physical health. 

Mobility

     Staying mobile at any age is extremely important.  Mobility is something that you can control, until you can’t.  Sometimes things happen that are beyond your control.  But as long as you can get through the thoughts of  “I can’t” and do what you can, that’s all that matters. It doesn’t have to be running a marathon or even a mile, Just movement is going to make all the difference in the world. 

Please just remember it is never too late to start, or regroup and restart.  The stronger you are inside and out the easier life will feel.  

Just remember

“The Joy Is In The Journey”