I spent the end of 2021 basically stressed all the time.
My daughter was in the hospital. Home renovations had my house upside down. A fun little bout of diarrhea made its way through our family … I could say more (on the poop situation and my general gripes), but I’ll stop. You get it. We all have our own stress.
But I’ll be honest, this December punch hit me pretty hard. I think it’s because I was already underwater, just from normal day-to-day life. I hate to admit that, and here we are.
So, heading into the new year, I did some digging in. Reflecting and reprioritizing. How can I find more lightness and enjoyment in my life?
I crafted a very intentional meditation regimen to help me switch gears. That might not sound like a game changer, but I mapped out specific practices to help me slow down, settle, find more clarity around my thought patterns and feelings, and ultimately start to lift my spirits. It helped a lot, and I’m still very engaged in the process. (I have another session of the program I designed starting Feb. 7. If you want to try it, click Lift Your Vibe.)
But inner shifts weren’t the only changes in order. I definitely needed to look within, and as my friend used to say, “logistics rule the world.” Sometimes, outer, more practical tweaks are important, too.
I feel like that sounds obvious, but we get caught up in our patterns and set in our ways and sometimes don’t recognize when simple material changes could be in our best interest. We often need someone else to point this out. That’s what happened to me, anyway.
My friend and life coach pointed out that I was trying to do too much, especially in the later part of every afternoon, and it was creating a baseline level of stress that was neither healthy nor useful. She helped me think through practical ways to adjust that time of day to make things smoother. On a basic level, that came down to outsourcing a few items and adjusting the way I handle dinner.
I’d been spending way too much time cooking, and it wasn’t fun — it was stressful. I had gotten away from my tried-and-true quick and easy meals. Now, I’m going back. I’m prioritizing recipes that are either easy or bound to produce enough leftovers to make the endeavor worthwhile.
Let me share one super easy recipe I made this week. I’m eager to offer it because it’s from a woman whose work I love. I’ve featured Stacie Zollars several times here before. Her website, sugarfacebakes.com, has great recipes and amazing sweets for sale. She also recently published a cookbook with 31 quick meals. Just my style. This recipe is from that book, “The Best Damn Cookbook: 31 Easy Meals to Help Kick Start Your Health.”
But more than a recipe, today I’d really like to offer some food for thought, too. On a very practical level, where does your day kink up in stress? What logistical adjustments could you try on for size in that department?
I’m always game for going deep and digging in, but today I encourage you, as my friend encouraged me, to examine where your hands are getting dirty the most. Is there any way to remove some of the strain in those situations?
Keep in mind that little tweaks can go a long way.
It can be as simple as cooking shrimp.