Let Stress Go

Time passes so quickly that we often lose track of what’s happening in our friend’s lives. I recently had a conversation to catch up on Debbie’s life. She explained she had been low-key and depressed over the past year because she had had several crises occur in her life. One of the crises involved her father’s passing. She found herself withdrawing and experiencing increasing stress levels at every moment. Working at her job kept her busy and her stress under control.
I asked Debbie, “What do you do for fun?” She hesitated, and then sighed. I went on, “Have I asked a difficult question?” She replied, “Yes, you have. I don’t do anything to relax. I go to work, then college and when I go home I feel sad over my father’s death but I don’t know how to relax.”
I began to talk to her about what I like to do to relax. “I travel in my car or take a cruise to Mexico. On a smaller scale for relaxation, I enjoy walking around a pond filled with ducks. I have such a pond just a block away from my home.” I told her I enjoyed movies, dancing and occasionally eating out. She responded, “I don’t do any of those things.” I encouraged her to take action and enjoy life. I said, “Debbie life is something like an eye blink and within one blink, it is here and gone. It can never be taken for granted. No one can promise you will live to be sixty-five or eighty years old. Your last breath may be today.”
These statements are true for everyone. If you were diagnosed with a terminal illness with only three months to live, what is the first thing you would do? Who would you call? What would you say? Isn’t it time to start living your life now?
Now would be a great time to sit down and really examine what is important to you. Write yourself list of your goals and create an action plan to reach those goals. Put a reasonable timetable on the goal. Keep the goal in a prominent place to remind you each day. For example, if you want to go on a tropical vacation, print off pictures of the place you want to visit and keep them on your mirror or computer. You could even put a little money jar beside the picture if you need help saving for it. If you want to lose weight, place a photo on your pantry or refrigerator of what you want to look like or you might join an online support group. Find the tools that will help motivate you. What works for one person may not work for you. However, there are many tips and tricks that others can share that might help. You might also consider a developmental coach to help you obtain goals that are more along the career or personal development aspect. How will you start to really live now? Feel fee to share with me. I would love to hear about your goals and successes.

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