Recently I heard that women are having heart attacks at alarming rates, and much earlier into their youth. Women in their 30's and 40's are collapsing under the stress of daily living. Working, raising a family, and the pressure of it all is literally killing them. So, today let's take a reality check and take a close look at how we can change this.
What is stress? Well, simply put, it's when our nervous system is overwhelmed by our circumstances and how we are experiencing life around us. Consider 2020 and all that changed with the pandemic, non-stop negative commentary, warnings of death and fear for the lives of others. Many of us lost our jobs or were financially cut to below poverty levels. We feared the unknown and what was known was uncertainty. All this change created pain and we couldn't escape it. Some of fought against it while others were polarized by it. Sometimes, all we can do is hide. We might pull the covers over our heads and refuse to get out of bed. We can hide in the shadows, withdraw, and isolate. We can pour our pain into a glass of whiskey and distract ourselves in the arms of another. But each of these efforts to avoid reality only results in more pain in the morning as we guilt and shame ourselves by making things worse. Living in denial of our pain does not make it go away and forces us to remain lost in a mental fog. We must rise above the clouds to find clarity.
When we choose to deal with the pain we can heal and accept what is real. When we face reality we can see what is because what is right now is sometimes all we have. The way out of the pain, and the only way to overcome the cause of the pain, is by accepting the truth of why you hurt. If you need help gaining altitude, a therapist can help you step outside of your pain to increase your understanding.
Step outside of your pain, gain elevation over your problems, focus on the priorities, and leave the small stuff for another day. It's amazing how much you can change. Small changes made every day will allow you to later look back at all the truly big changes you accomplished.
“It is your attitude, more than your aptitude, that will determine your altitude.”
Zig Ziglar