This time … it’s personal.
Yesterday, I talked about stress from a practical and tactical standpoint.
Today, it’s personal.
Stress controlled me for years.
I never wanted anyone to see me rattled or to see me struggling.
So, I became an expert at keeping it all inside.
The physical stress that I was putting my body through eating 1200-1600 calories per day and training my ass off …
The emotional stress of feeling like a failure and never feeling good enough…
Then, the financial stress of trying to figure out how to make my passion a viable career …
And, the hormonal stress of sleeping 2 hours per night when I would finish bar tending at 2 am and train my first clients at 5 am …
All of it bottled up, and all of it kept inside. I didn’t want to appear “weak.” I didn’t want to admit I was drowning.
I would have emotional outbursts from time to time and then wonder why.
Even the people closest to me had no idea what was going on.
How do you think that played out for my relationships?
Stress was a major contributor to ending my marriage.
I thought I could just ignore it and if I pretended to be okay, then eventually I would be.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that.
Is food creating stress in YOUR life?
I’ve talked about how repairing my relationship with food was one of the single biggest factors for finding enjoyment and sustainability in my fitness.
A major reason for that is because food used to be a huge source of stress for me.
Which is so common, but common doesn’t make it right.
Food is something that plays so many beautiful roles in our lives and yet it causes so many of us additional stress and anxiety.
That’s not okay.
Stress controlled me for years. And, when I finally poured myself into the research, I was blown away.
I realized very quickly that if I wanted my body to change, I had to get a grip on the stress in my life. That part was obvious.
From stressed out to resilient
The real key was when I learned that becoming more resilient to stress is a teachable skill.
It will expedite growth and transformation, increase sense of well-being and life satisfaction, and provide a well of self-confidence to pull from when you need it most.
It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
And, it’s a gift that changed my life.
A close friend of mine said to me yesterday that it’s been amazing for him to see me reinvent myself over the years and how proud he is of me.
I attribute most of that growth and evolution to learning resiliency.
And, now I get to pay it forward.
