Moment of truth: other people’s opinions bother me. I try not to let that happen, but it still does. I am working on it and I am making progress.
There’s a term, a made-up word, that I heard somewhere - I can’t remember where. (For those of you who are sensitive to curses, my apologies.)
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Several years ago, I remember thinking that it was time for me to lose a little weight. I wasn’t massively overweight, I just noticed that my clothes seemed to be fitting tighter than they were and I didn’t like that. So, I started exercising and paying a little more attention to what I was eating.
I don’t know about you, but trying to lose weight requires some work and therefore requires some drive. Now, I don’t know where I learned this (parents, teachers, tv, siblings, etc) but I thought shame was the best driver to get this job done.
I proceeded to drive myself with shame.
My inner dialogue went something like...
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For many people, a new year means new year’s resolutions. But if you’re anything like me, that resolution lasts about one month…maybe, if I’m lucky.
Why is that? Is it because I lack willpower? Maybe.
But a very likely reason for not reaching my goal is that I haven’t connected to my core motivation - the deeper reasons for making the resolution or goal - in the first place.
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The holidays are just around the corner and, for some (or maybe most) people, that means holiday stress.
But what is that, really?
Well, technically, “the holidays” themselves don’t cause you stress. The stress you experience at this time of year is internal physiological disharmony as a result of your negative emotional response to your perception of the holidays, and all they entail. It is not the holidays causing your stress; your perceptions and emotions are.
Why does this distinction matter?
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I stumbled across an article posted in 2014 by the Heartmath Institute. Although the article is 10 years old, the information remains crucial in our pursuit of living lives of less stress and more happiness. I strongly believe more people need to hear this information, so I am sharing it here. (Warning: It is a bit longer than the content I normally share with you.)
In the 1950’s a noted researcher named Hans Selye popularized the term stress for the first time. Selye said: “Everyone knows what stress is, but in reality nobody knows.”...
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You have probably heard of the acronym “FOMO”? It is the “Fear of Missing Out”. The fear that others are doing something fun without you, that others have it better than you do, and/or that you are missing out on opportunities.
In essence, it is the worry and feelings of anxiety that come from the belief that you are lacking.
Because you are worried that your life is lacking, you live your life with discontentment, searching, seeking, trying to find something to fill that hole.
Personally, during this season...
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“I feel like I’m going backwards.”
“I’m scared of going backwards.”
I hear this from my clients sometimes. Maybe you’ve even thought it or said it.
The “going backwards” that I am referring to is the feeling of “not feeling good” again after “feeling good” for some time...
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Relationships have the potential to be a source of great stress. They also have the potential to be the source of great support and sense of belonging - a great stress relief!
Dr. Gary Chapman, the author of “The 5 Love Languages”, recently sent out an email about relationships that I am sharing with you, here:
Have you ever watched a movie and had difficulty figuring out the plot? If so, I’m assuming you either turned it off or turned your attention elsewhere (i.e., phone, refrigerator, sleep). When you don’t understand how things are connected, you begin to lose interest...
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