Question of the day: Can you find good in stress??
Lou Holtz said: “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” Why is it that we tend to make stress and everything that falls under it as a prize worth bragging about? How many times have you, or someone you know, said something like “I got 3 hours of sleep last night!” or “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” or “you would not believe the amount of stress I am under!” I’ve been guilty of a few of those myself. I am convinced that there are people who just don’t know what to do with themselves if they aren’t unhappy, stressed, and having interrupted sleep. I am equally convinced that life is better when we learn how to properly deal with the negative and focus on doing better.
The question today is: Can you find good in stress?
Stress – we’ve all felt it.
Stress impacts how your body responds to the aging process.
Stress also ages the heart and can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar. It also elevates your heart rate, which can wear the heart out over time.
Stress has also been shown to weaken the bones, make you sick and even make you fat! Let’s focus on what you can do to prevent suffering any of these stress-related issues!
I’m going to cover five ways you can mitigate the effects of stress and then share tips on relaxation.
There ARE ways that we can find relaxation. This week over on my Facebook page, I asked for tips on reducing stress. There were some great discussions from music to oils to exercise and things called a happy light! I’d like to chat about a few ideas:
Stress is inevitable. It is how we deal with it that determines whether we come out on top or succumb to it. I’m not telling you that you can never feel stressed or negative. Gracious, our Creator gave us emotions.
The question is can there be good in stress? While stress itself is not a good thing, necessarily, there can be good when we choose to be proactive. Taking time to let it go, refocus, redirect, remembering to breathe, move our bodies, and practicing gratitude will begin to change your outlook. Like Lou Holtz said, “it’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” How are you carrying your load today? Are you wearing it like a badge, putting it on every day like a jacket to keep you warm? Or will you give that burden to the Lord and let Him carry it? Will you make decisions today to lessen the load so you can focus on the good, the blessings, the gift of life itself?
I'd love to know what you'd like to hear on the podcast! Send me a quick message either on Facebook, Instagram, or ImperfectlyPollyanna.com. If you know someone who may appreciate this podcast, please share with them!
Hey there! Welcome to Imperfectly Pollyanna. A podcast where we have real and honest talk while finding the positive in the imperfections whether in homeschool, faith, health, or overall life. I am your host, Courtney, and I am SO glad you are here!
Lou Holtz said: “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” Why is it that we tend to make stress and everything that falls under it as a prize worth bragging about? How many times have you, or someone you know, said something like “I got 3 hours of sleep last night!” or “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” or “you would not believe the amount of stress I am under!” I’ve been guilty of a few of those myself. I am convinced that there are people who just don’t know what to do with themselves if they aren’t unhappy, stressed, and having interrupted sleep. I am equally convinced that life is better when we learn how to properly deal with the negative and focus on doing better.
The question today is: Can you find good in stress?
Stress – we’ve all felt it. When people say “how are you” I often wonder if they TRULY want to know how I am because some days I would likely like to yell out: I AM STRESSED OUT. While the extrinsic effects of stress vary by the individual, stress impacts the body regardless. Specifically, stress impacts how your body responds to the aging process. Speaking of aging, did you know that the current rumor is that women who have a side part and wear skinny jeans are considered “old” by the younger crowd? I’ll have you know, I wear a side part proudly and actually HATE jeans. Give me leggings all day, every day. Granted, I think the trend is apparently flare jeans…which I used to love in the 90’s. Well, loved until it was raining and the bottom 4 inches of my pants were sopping wet. I wonder if this means that it will actually come back in style to have the body of the actresses in the 50’s. You know, the ones with a thicker waist line and high rise swimsuits. Because I could TOTALLY go for that.
Yes, took a side road there. Sorry about that. Back to the topic. Stress also ages the heart and can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar. It also elevates your heart rate, which can wear the heart out over time. If you need to check your stress level, scroll through your social media accounts these days. Guaranteed you’ll have a good pumping of blood. I take that back, let’s not do that, ok? Cause we are here to find the GOOD and not exacerbate that sort of drama, right? This past week my aunt was found to have had a heart attack. Unfortunately, 4 of my dad’s siblings have now experienced heart disease so it is imperative for us to be proactive in both reducing stress physically as well as eating foods that help reduce stress on the body.
Stress has also been shown to weaken the bones, make you sick and even make you fat! High levels of stress hormones, or cortisol, raise the body’s blood sugar, which can lead to insulin resistance, and also aggravate conditions like heartburn and inflammatory bowel problems.
The list of negative health impacts that stress has on the body goes on, but I’m sure you get the point. Let’s focus on what you can do to prevent suffering any of these stress-related issues!
I’m going to cover five ways you can mitigate the effects of stress and then share tips on relaxation. Sound good?
When I was going through fertility treatments, it would feel like nails on a chalkboard if someone mentioned the words “just relax.” Yes, yes, I’m aware there are plenty of women out there who have simply relaxed and gotten knocked up but for those who have not been blessed with that being the only issue, it might as well be a smack in the face.
As women, in general, hearing someone say “just chill out” or “relax”…well, I’m sure we can all imagine the lightening speed our eyes roll out of our head and down the street.
However! There ARE ways that we can find relaxation. This week over on my Facebook page, I asked for tips on reducing stress. There was some great discussions from music to oils to exercise and things called a happy light! I’d like to chat about a few ideas:
Stress is inevitable. It is how we deal with it that determines whether we come out on top or succumb to it. I’m not telling you that you can never feel stressed or negative. Gracious, our Creator gave us emotions. If we walked around all day like everything was fine, and we had no problems, we would be hypocrites! Yet, if we live in a state of constant stress, not doing anything to reduce it, we are doing a huge disservice to our heart, mind, body, and soul.
The question is can there be good in stress? While stress itself is not a good thing, necessarily, there can be good when we choose to be proactive. Taking time to let it go, refocus, redirect, remembering to breathe, move our bodies, and practicing gratitude will begin to change your outlook. Like Lou Holtz said, “it’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” How are you carrying your load today? Are you wearing it like a badge, putting it on every day like a jacket to keep you warm? Or will you give that burden to the Lord and let Him carry it? Will you make decisions today to lessen the load so you can focus on the good, the blessings, the gift of life itself? I hope that answer is a resounding yes. Remember, habits aren’t formed overnight but they’ll never happen if you never start. Start today, right now. I believe in you!
**I am hoping this podcast finds its way to someone who may be needing some positivity with her faith, homeschool, health or life. If that’s you, you’ve found a friend who understands. If you have someone in mind that might relate, please share this podcast with her.
I’d love to connect so make sure to subscribe so you can get alerts for new episodes. You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram or send me a quick hello over at imperfectlypollyanna.com! I’ve put that in the show notes for you. Remember, you are loved and I am GLAD you are here. See you next time!