The “Help Me!” Series, Chapter 2: I’m Stressed

I’m tired.  No, really.  I’m worn out, dog tired and stressed. Do you ever get like that?  I honestly can’t imagine how you women with children do it.  I don’t have kids and it takes every ounce of mental energy I have just to get out of bed.   I’d be an even hotter mess if I had kids. You’ve gotta know what I mean, because I know I’m not alone.

Today I wanted to talk about being tired, and worn out and go over some things to help us through those times.  I already know why I’m worn out.  We’re moving 1205 miles away in 10 weeks, my house still has to go back on the market, which means it still hasn’t sold, I have to deep clean and rearrange loads of packed boxes to get the house show ready, I’m having surgery in 2 weeks, I have a yard/garage sale to organize and I’ve never done that before in my life, I have a 4-bedroom house to pack, a move to coordinate, Facebook posts to schedule, blog posts to write, recipes to develop, movers to schedule down at our new home, and I’m sure I’m missing a few more things, but you get the picture.  Can we say S-T-R-E-S-S-F-U-L?

Now I know you don’t follow my blog to listen to me whine about how stressed I am, but you do like to know that you aren’t alone.  Well, guess what? You’re not alone.

You Might Be Stressed If…

If you’ve ever been so stressed over money that you skipped the 45 minute trip to the local Trader Joe’s and just bought a jar of GMO mayo and you don’t give a flying schmuck about it,  you’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been stressed from wondering “Why do they want dinner every.single.night” that you gave your kids popcorn and fudge because the thought of trying to come up with a nourishing meal makes you want to assume the fetal position and cry.  You’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been so stressed that you can’t sleep or all you do is sleep.  You’re not alone.

If stress were a currency, you’d be rich.  But it isn’t and you’re not, so you’re not alone.

If you’ve ever thought that some people should use a glue stick instead of chapstick. You’re not alone.

If you’re so stressed your getting on your own nerves. You’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been so stressed that you had an anxiety attack and breathed into a paper bag which just happened to have bottle of vodka inside.  You’re not alone.

If you’ve ever been so stressed that you’ve considered renting a hotel room just so you can take a bath and not be bothered by anyone because you’re certain you’ll snap if you hear “HONEY?” or “MOOOOM?” one.more.time.  You are not alone.

If you’ve ever been so stressed that you considered strangling your next door neighbor who grows their own food, and doesn’t use plastic, like ever, and makes her own clothing with organic cotton, and makes her own medicine, personal care items and cleaning supplies because she’s so freaking perfect and annoying, you are NOT alone.

If you’ve ever been so stressed about being stressed that you can’t remember why you’re stressed and that stresses you out.  You are not alone.

If you’ve considered telling a Real Food blogger to “Stuff it!” because they have no idea what real life is like- or at least it appears they don’t.  You’re not alone.

If you have way too many plates- I mean forget just having too much ON your plate, you exceeded that limit like 5 plates ago.  You are not alone.

If you just want to curl up into a ball and shovel fudge into your pie hole because it comforts you.  You are not alone.

If you think stress tastes best slathered in pudding. You are not alone.

If converting oxygen to carbon dioxide stresses you out. You are not alone.

If you have had to make really tough decision between feeding your family better and paying certain bills and are stressed out because of it.  You’re not alone.

If you can’t pay all your medical bills because crappy, processed, Standard American Diet food has made you so sick that you spend so much time at your doctors office that he sends you Thank You cards for putting his kids through college, then you are NOT alone.

If you find yourself becoming a bit anti-social and a wee bit snarky.  You’re not alone.

If you think going to the gym would be a great way to alleviate stress but decide that punching someone in the face would be faster and more satisfying. You’re not alone.

If you’ve ever come to the realization that you have so much crap to do that you decide to take a nap instead.  You’re not alone.

If you’re so stressed that you procrastinate to avoid stress but procrastinating stresses you out.  You’re not alone.

You realize that your Knight in shining armor is really just a douchebag in tinfoil.  You’re not alone (actually that’s not an issue with me, so you might be alone there.  Sorry)

If you’re just happy you managed to brush your teeth and comb your hair today, you’re not alone.

If the thought of one more thing going wrong, or one more plan falling apart causes you to want to harm someone. You’re not alone.

If you used to be sweet, patient, kind, loving, funny, energetic, and motivated and suddenly find you want to throttle anyone that still is. You’re not alone!

That’s All Fine And Dandy…

Well “that’s great” you say, but how does any of this help me?

Good question.  Here are a few healthy ways to relax and recharge:

• Go for a walk
• Spend time in nature
• Call a good friend
• Listen to a church sermon online
• Go to the gym
• Take a long bath with some energizing essential oils
• Write in a journal
• Enjoy a good cup of coffee or tea
• Play with your child or with a pet
• Hug your spouse or a friend
• Work in your garden or doing a craft you enjoy
• Get a massage or facial
• Curl up with a good book
• Listen to music
• Watch a funny movie
• Google “comedians” and watch a few clips on YouTube
• Pray
• Make sure you’re eating good/real food
• Go window shopping
• Take a nap
• Get a manicure or pedicure
• But some flowers and put them in a prominent place in your home
• Take a Yoga class

Also, here is a website that has some great Stress Management Strategies.  And they’re actually realistic!  Go figure!

The biggest thing to remember is that stress happens. There are numerous emotional and physical disorders that have been linked to stress including depression, anxiety, heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, immune system disturbances that increase susceptibility to infections.  Because of this, doing what you can to stick to a Real Food diet during this time will do wonders for your body and eventually your mind.  We all get stressed, but how we handle it and how we take care of ourselves during that time is what’s important.

Because almost every system in your body can be damaged by stress it wouldn’t hurt to consider beefing up your Kefir and/or Kombucha consumption.  Stress can cause digestive, intestinal and stomach issues, which can lead to colds and infections.  When you have healthy probiotic drinks handy, your intestines are happier and healthier.  If they’re healthier, then it’s harder for you to get sick from being stressed.  I have a post on Kombucha and Milk Kefir so that you can look into making your own if you don’t already.

I hope that you now see that you really aren’t alone.  That everyone gets stressed and sometimes life just seems to be swallowing you up!  It’s important to take time for yourself if at all possible, or spend time with your friends or spouse.  A fun date night can do wonders for stress levels.  And you don’t have to spend a lot of money.

Also, don’t stress over Real Food.  Do what you can and make the changes that you can afford to make and feel led to make because ANY change is better than NO change.  Real Food is not a Religion, nor should it be approached as such.  Everyone is on a different journey in regards to Real Food, so what may not be right for you and your family may be just fine for someone else.  Take it one day at a time.  Here is a great post about not stressing out about real food from my friend Emily at Butter Believer.

I hope I was able to get you to laugh a bit and alleviate some of your stress today.  If only for a moment.   I’ll return tomorrow with a great ice cream recipe that should make almost everything less stressful.  At least while you’re eating it anyway.

Here’s a little taste of what’s to come tomorrow:

Photo sources:

Waterballoon

Dos Equis Dude

Stress and supermodels

Stressed cat