So I’ve been pretty stressed out about work lately. The can’t relax but exhausted, can’t shut your brain off kind of stress that is ridiculously unhealthy. In my home life stress is never really an issue. Shadoe and I are both very go with the flow people. We don’t fight about little things around the house or worry about money. In fact I love being home, it’s probably the most stress-free environment possible. Except for when I can’t seem to leave work problems at work. I used to be able to come home and completely switch off my brain from anything work related and just be at home. I really need to get back to that. I was having bad headaches for over a month and finally went to the doctor. I left with a prescription for massages and a diagnosis of stress headaches. The massage therapist I went to confirmed that I was way, way too tense and gave me some tips for relaxing. I knew it was really getting to be a problem when I had to call in sick twice in two weeks, spent my days off exhausted and feeling terrible, was becoming less and less productive at work, and started abandoning yoga videos after 10 minutes cause I just couldn’t get past this overwhelming feeling of stress. The more I got stressed out the less I wanted to do anything to alleviate that stress. Not to mention I noticed myself making bad food choices and not wanting to cook.
I finally decided that I just can’t do it anymore. So stating today project de-stress is commencing. I guess downsizing went along with that as well since I always get a sense of freedom from getting rid of stuff. I recently read “Finding Ultra” by Rich Roll and then watched “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” last night on Netflix. They both had one thing in common. Diet changes leading to an increase of energy, which lead to an increase in exercise, which relieves stress and tension. So this morning I got up earlier than usual and instead of lazing about for the first hour or so I made a green smoothie and went for a run. Then I did a quick yoga class on yogaglo. Finally I felt that sense of calm returning, slowly, not quite 100% but it’s a start. Next I cooked some chickpeas and made hummus for a healthier lunch at work. Then I snuggled up in some comfy blankets and had a nap before getting ready for my nightshift. Before heading to work I made sure to eat a healthy “breakfast” of oatmeal. For the first time in a long time I actually felt okay heading to work instead of the usual “ugh I do not want to be here” feeling I’ve had lately. Maybe I can turn things around just by changing my thought process and making better food choices. I guess we’ll see!
Also today is the one year anniversary of my blog! It looks a lot different than it did one year ago!
My happy place. I want to go back!
Do you have any tips or ideas for dealing with stress?
EcoCouple 