Anxiety & Stress Are They Stealing Your Joy

Anxiety and stress can have debilitating results. For years I suffered through stress, work-related, home, you name it, I could find a way to stress myself out!

Over the past couple of years now, some fantastic results have passed through my life. Yes, I still stress, but boy can control it been enhanced. I will share with you my daily routine and habits that help.

prayer, faith, hope

First, let me say that if you’re struggling to get help from a licensed health care professional. What I am sharing with you is just daily habits that you can try to see if they help. By no means should you feel this is a cure-al?

Simple daily routine changes can help with stress & anxiety:

  1. Learn to quiet the mind. This is just a simple relaxation method that can help you with a clear mind. When the rhetoric in your head can slow down and quiet. Amazing results begin to appear.
  2. This can be a simple walk around your neighborhood. Or you can join a gym. Working out the tension in your body, getting stronger can help you not get so fatigued that your anxiety just increases.
  3. Take a moment often during the day to just breathe. Sixty seconds to breathe in through the nose and out through your mouth. Nice cleansing breaths.
  4. Regulate your soda, coffee, and high caffeine drinks. For most of us, we don’t need more help to get anxious.
  5. Take the time that’s just for you. Watch a sunrise by yourself. Sit by a creek. Do something that is just for you (retail therapy is a no-no. Credit card debt is a stressor). Go shoot baskets at the park, kick a ball, ride a bike.
  6. Stay connected with people that uplift you. Debbie-downer is not your friend. Choose wisely. Don’t hibernate.
  7. Set boundaries for people that bring stress into your experience. If someone can only talk about negative things. Cut them short (YES YOU CAN) politely excuse yourself from that situation “oh I totally forgot ______” hopefully that person gets a clue. You are not anyone’s sounding board for garbage.
  8. Home or office is a mess. Guess what? That is the state of your noodle. Clean up, organize, and enjoy the environment around you. People often tell me the disorganized desk in the office, “that’s just the way I am.” So, you’re a chaotic malfunctioning human, and we should all get over it? I regularly must organize myself, it’s a habit I highly recommend.
  9. Sit down and prioritize your life. I mean down to the last detail. If you tell me you’re a free spirit, you fly by the seat of your pants. Then I say super if you’re a well-adjusted, NORMAL functioning human being I will shut up. Otherwise, organize based on the importance of what you need to do every day. The reason being, if you have a real sense of accomplishment, wow, is that life-changing! Activity vs. Productivity learns the difference now!
  10. Patience and faith. If you can learn to allow life to unfold (yes you must do the work) knowing full well, you’ll be fine. Even when you can’t see a way, you believe with everything that is you, all will be well. Spiritual connectedness will indeed bring about peace in your life.
  11. Learn to be grateful right where you are. If you want more out of life, you must be thankful where you stand. If you want more from the Universe, why would that occur if you’re miserable where you are (NO, I am not suggesting you be grateful in a situation that is emotionally or physically harmful to you). However, if this is not the case and you’re simply aggravated at your lot in life. Be grateful you have a car that gets you to work, you have a job it may suck, but you have one, a roof over your head, food to eat, your health and clothes to wear.

You can find a million reasons to stay in the crap. I just gave you eleven reasons not too. What’s more, you can do each of these with just a little effort.

The real question now; “What are you prepared to do?” Until you make the decision to change your life, expect the same outcome.

No guarantee this will be easy. Nothing worth having is ever easy. I am going to let you in on a secret. For most of our lives, we’ve been taught to run away from pain. Sounds reasonable.

Ponder this:

When you first go to the gym and workout hard, what happens? Soreness from hell hits you. Can’t brush your teeth, can’t raise your arms high enough. You can quit or go back to the gym and work out a bit more until the soreness subsides.

Coaches will push you beyond your mental and physical breaking points. Why? Your head will quit far sooner than your body or mind can handle. Marathon runners are prime examples. “The wall” as marathon runners will tell you hits about the twenty-mile mark, and your brain says your body it’s time to stop. The physical pain that is causing damage to the point if you don’t stop, you could injure yourself or worse die.

Medical studies have proven this is all in your head. Runners are not hurt, injured, or dying. What is happening is our limiting beliefs take over, and it’s; fight-or-flight.

Before you give up, take one more step. If you took the step, then maybe we can go more. It’s all up to you. The ONLY PERSON ON THIS PLANET THAT CAN SAY YOU CAN OR CANNOT. IS YOU!

Don’t let anxiety and stress take your joy. If you need professional help go, get it. I am putting a resource to help you get started. This is not a paid endorsement, nor an endorsement by me. It’s just a great place to get started.

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National Institute for Mental Health

Sign a Peace Treaty with Yourself Today

“If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.”–Marvin Gaye

This quote is so accurate. Making peace with yourself is liberating. It’s also authentic if you don’t make peace with yourself, you cannot find it anywhere else.

Self-destructive behavior, depression, will keep you from finding inner peace. So many suffer years without any relief. These and other situations will require some real self-evaluation to get some needed help. There is no substitute for professional advice.

life, love, happy

In working out my own life to find peace with myself. To enjoy myself! Some days are a struggle, but the good news I catch myself so that I can breathe for a moment to remember I am okay.

How I got to this point:

  • Found a sizeable Pastoral Counseling center.
  • Learned to meditate.
  • Read books with self-improvement themes.
  • Read the Book of Proverbs!!!
  • Attend Church, found an excellent bible based church.
  • Pray

This is just a few things I have done. Practice being positive as silly as that might sound. Keep using affirmations over, and over again. It works!

NO matter what you’ve done in your life. If you’re not the same person you were, then don’t sentence yourself to a life of despair. Change and move on. Enjoy a new life and a new you.

It takes a bit of work, but completely worth the time!

Questions or comments:

Embrace the Warmth of the Sun on your Face, No Shadows Before You

“Turn your face to the sun, and the shadows fall behind you.”–Unknown 

We’re all guilty of looking back into the shadows of our lives. It’s within those shadows that you find depression, sadness, and loneliness.

prayer, faith, love

Shadows hide from us the destiny that God has for us. God does not live in the shadows he lives in the light. Turn your face to the sunshine, find warmth in the suns embrace. Feel the warmth open up your dreams.

It’s much easier to look back for some reason. Many of us struggle to find the light. I would urge you this day to venture outside, close your eyes, and look up to the sun. Take a moment to let the Universe know you are grateful.

It’s the simple things like this that build the foundation of your strength.

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Learning to Live Outside Ourself, Being a Blessing

With all the political venom, with nothing but negative news filling our social media feeds, our news programs. It’s not a wonder we may struggle with depression or just WTF!

Life Research Project is my movement to find reasons to be a blessing on this earth. Many ways we can give back even in small ways that require no financial investment when family budgets are stretched beyond limits.

volunteer, hope, change

Becoming a blessing to those around us, to the environment has immeasurable grace. Giving in the face of adversity will change your state-of-mind. We all want to feel better, have fun, make a difference. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  1. Pick up a pound of trash. We can all find a pound of litter to police up.
  2. Plant a tree. Preferably a fruit tree that folks could freely pick fruit from. Perhaps in an area where homeless people could get a piece of fruit.
  3. Start a Garden in an area where homeless folks are nearby. Allow anyone to pick from the garden.
  4. Visit a nursing home. Be company to someone lonely.
  5. Go to a hospital and merely pray in the Chapel for healing. Perhaps even pray with someone that is begging for a loved one.
  6. Volunteer, food pantry, Goodwill, Hospital, Nursing home, Boy’s & Girls Club, Animal Rescue Shelter, community center,  as you can see plenty to choose.
  7. Offer a bottle of water to a soul that is panhandling. Keep some bottled water in your vehicle. Instead of money offer a bottle of water. Say a prayer for God to protect the person you gave water.

Part of living life needs to be living outside our own needs. Even when you’re screaming, “what about me,” make it about helping someone. Stop! Listen to these words, being a blessing to others in the face of adversity.

When we can give even when we feel we have nothing to offer. Believe me when I say if you do this with an open heart. Sewing this seed can only bring a harvest beyond anything you imagined.

Feeling good helping others allows us to realize more can be achieved when we work together. If you planted a fruit tree that feeds hungry souls that may be hurting. How would you feel knowing that people did not go hungry at the moment they picked a piece of fruit from a tree you planted.

Doing good things, sewing seeds of peace, hope, love, and prosperity. You can’t help but feel love for yourself. Sometimes seeing more than just ourselves will actually heal our soul.

Pick one thing you can do this week to be a blessing to the world. I showed seven possible ways, you may have something else in mind. Do not do this and say to God okay; it’s your turn. Look beyond you!!!

Learn to be selfless, and in doing so, life will open up for you in ways never dreamt.

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Don’t Let Anyone Steal Your Joy

“Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.”

This quote has been attributed to Sigmund Freud, William Gibson, and a host of others. I found it both straight to the point and funny. Whoever can take credit for it!

We all learn to keep certain people at arm’s length, or we allow them into our experience. Taking care to protect our emotions.

Learn to not allow toxic people to steal your joy. If needed, these folks may need to exit your life if you deal with issues concerning them. You don’t have to allow that, ever!

self help, confidence, friends

Sometimes we have to move on from relationships to make room for the new. Changing seasons in our life will bring new friends, mentors, and essential people that God sees fit to move into our life experience. Be open!

Embrace those that lift you up, challenge your status quo. Lots of people are searching for the same quality of life you are. I find great people at Church that follow a path of happiness.

meditation, yoga, peace

Find people that bring joy to your life. Don’t let anyone steal your happiness!

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