This was yesterday’s question of the day. It was a random question that popped up an I thought I’d put it out there. I’d forgotten that I asked, and when I looked at the responses, I was happy to see that it got quite a few answers.
Lots of people were willing to share what bugs them, and they are all everyday things that everyone sees different. There were some things I read that don’t bother me at all and some that I think are funny; you never can tell what stresses other people.
It’s a bit of a synchronicity that I asked that question yesterday and had a visit with my doctor in which he explained some things to me. I’ve been dealing with some symptoms that are caused by something with my hormones. Well it turns out that when we have stress, any kind of stress, good or bad, it affects our hormones.
We all know what bad stress is, but good stress could be watching an exciting game or an intense movie. All of those things cause our hormones to shift. When the doctor was talking I thought about work. I have worked 60 plus hours a week for most of my career, and though when I work, I have fun, it is a stressor. It’s not that I take my job home or that I worry and fret over things, but, as the doctor explained, it’s the act of it.
I wake up at 3 AM every morning, I read, write, then go to work for a ten hour, or more, shift. Add in a trip to the gym three or four times a week, and my constant goal-setting, and you have someone who is under constant hormonal stress. No wonder my body is sending me these messages.
This is not the type of stress where I’m stuck in traffic or I’m worried about the job. It’s stress where I’m constantly doing something, which includes demanding physical exercise, which I enjoy. It seems that even doing the things I enjoy I need to step beck from and learn to slow down.
The slowing down part has not been as easy as one might think. I had a seven week vacation and went back to a forty hour shift. It’s taking my mind some time to slow down after pulling the loaded cart for so many years. I guess this is good practice for retirement that will begin in a few years.
Now, as I slowly get back to the business of living, I need to look for new ways to exercise. Slow down and do something low impact. I need to take care of the body differently, so it lasts longer and I can enjoy everything I’ve worked so hard for, and that means giving up something’s I thought were pleasurable in the past.
G A ZUBIA 