Stay Above the Fray

Posted on November 3, 2020

Doesn’t it feel like our stress levels have never been higher? And yet, somehow, it continues. What can we do to find joy and happiness despite all this stress? Is it even possible? As an eternal optimist, I believe anything and everything is possible, even in the darkest of times. Easier said than done? Not necessarily. Below I detail how we can all ~

Stay Above the Fray

***Physical***

Now more than ever it is vital to stay on top of your physical health. Why? Let’s take your digestion, for instance. When you are stressed, your body responds with efficacy…meaning it slows down your digestion in case you need to run or fight. I know comfort eating seems to help when we are stressed, and we all do it, so there’s no judgment here. My point is this: if your body is slowing your digestion in preparation and you are ingesting inflammatory and congesting foods, it is difficult for your body to break them down and convert them into energy. This can leave you feeling very sluggish, grumpy, depressed and hopeless…and this is on top of the waves of bad news appearing daily. So please be kind to yourself and eat as healthfully as possible. Make it fun! Everyone seems to have a favorite salad or healthy juice drink. Take the time to make food just the way you like it, and this extra effort can lift your spirits and remind yourself that you are worthy of loving self-care.

Besides adequate hydration with pure water, exercise is a miracle worker to combat stress. Again…make it fun! I love Pilates and martial arts ~ Qi Gong in particular. Deep breathing with body movement can literally clear away your stress. It’s like oxygen for me these days. I can’t function well without exercise, and I encourage you to do whatever connects you to your body in a beautiful way.

And of course, a metaphysical colonic, bio electric lymphatic drainage and craniosacral therapy calms us…body, mind and spirit.

***Mental***

These days it appears everyone has an opinion about this, that or the other thing. It’s exhausting to wade through the voluminous amounts of information through news outlets, social media, and conversations with each other. One quick and easy way to stay above the fray is staying off of the internet. Don’t believe me? Try a media fast for a week or more. Don’t worry…your friends will fill you in on the important things. Coming off of social media and the news has changed my life and reduced my stress levels about 90%!

We’ve all got so many thoughts running through our heads, do we really need to bombard ourselves with more? Remember, we choose what we allow into our lives. Practicing healthy boundaries with the internet is one of the most freeing experiences, especially now. Since travel is currently limited, take a little vacation in your mind. Picture yourself in a relaxing locale of your choice. Put on some soothing music and let yourself drift away. Maybe in a warm bath…with essential oils…and Epsom salt…while enjoying some herbal tea. Calgon: take me away! (BTW: taking a bath with salt is one of the best ways to disperse and release stress!)

***Emotional***

Fear is up all over the planet and especially here in America…and particularly right now. Allow yourself to sit in the discomfort of your feelings. Make friends with your feelings and with gratitude, thank them for showing you the emotions that can feel so overwhelming. When we run away from our feelings through distractions (alcohol, food, media, obsessive/compulsive thinking) we miss an exquisite opportunity to get to know ourselves better. One way to avoid letting our feelings lead us around is through healthy detachment. When you notice a feeling such as fear, allow yourself to feel it. Then imagine standing next to the fear as if it is a friend. Thank the fear for helping you and ask it what it is trying to tell you. By detaching from the fear you can work with it healthily. For example, sometimes I am afraid that my business will take a downturn and affect my finances negatively. I feel the fear by acknowledging it. I notice where it is sitting in my body. Then, I remind myself that I have two choices. I can continue down the path of fear and most likely create the thing I am fearing the most, or I can choose to trust that all of life loves me and I am worthy of being supported this way. The fear as my friend reminds me of these choices and helps me to take responsibility for my mindset. Remember, we are always creating our lives, every minute, every day. Where we focus our thoughts, energy and emotion steers us to the reality we visualize. Where will fear steer you if you stay on that path? Where will joy lead you? What about hope?

***Spiritual***

The number one thing I practice that helps me stay above the fray and living with daily joy and positivity are two things: love and trust. I practice self-love in my self-talk, self-care and self-worth through diet, exercise and all things joyful (love listening to comedy…anything!). Further, I spend a great deal of time sharing love with others. Knowing that I have soul contracts with every person in my life, I can be grateful for people who challenge me or “hurt” me. I put that word in quotations because I can only get hurt by others when I personalize their behavior. If our souls agreed to play out situations in our lives for our highest good, then how can I feel anything but love and gratitude for them? This spiritual belief has been a game changer for me. So much of the way we suffer is through our interactions with others, and our expectations they show up in a way we can control. What would happen in your life and your stress level if you loved them instead? Just love them. Open your heart, surround it with peach colored energy and send them love. Even if you don’t understand the gift of their presence (especially if they are a PITA), trust they are in your life for a reason, thank them and love them.

And this brings me to my next topic: trust. By far, the number one thing that challenges human beings the most is trust. My life, my business, my relationships and my joy are directly connected to my willingness to trust that life has my back and loves me unconditionally. When I allow myself to trust this, guess what happens? I have a deeper capacity to love others unconditionally…see how that works? Isn’t that immensely beautiful? The reality is: loving myself and others unconditionally, and being in a state of unhappy stress cannot co-exist. Don’t believe me? Try it! First, trust that you are surrounded by spiritual help, be it your higher self, a higher power or life itself. Second, trust that you are worthy to receive this help by asking for what you need. Third, trust that whatever outcome shows up is being offered for your highest good.

With love and gratitude ~

Stephanie