It’s a pleasant day, I go to a mall to buy jeans. I try 1st, 2nd & 3rd. After the 3rd trial, I realise that I am sweating, I don’t feel good. My head is heavy and also there is tightness & pain in my jaws. I decide to leave & I am home, thinking, thinking something, questioning every aspect of my life? Full of uncertainty, fear & restlessness.
I try to ignore that discomfort, my mind tries to analyse what causes this. I decide to watch something on Netflix to distract myself & to feel good, but it just doesn’t get better, & in some moments it’s getting intense. And now my head:
Perhaps I should eat something. Doesn’t work. Maybe chocolate would do. Oh yes, I feel good. Let’s work for some time. Oh, it’s back again. What shall I do? A drink? No. Smoke? No. I don’t want to repeat this. What what what? Okay, maybe just a drink.
The next morning — Oh SHIT!!!
This is one simple scenario out of plenty that has swallowed many of my days in the last 1–2 years now. If I introspect, I believe it’s been a part of me for several years. Recently, I finally became aware of it. One of the many techniques I suggested to tame this is writing. Thus here I am, writing about a few lifestyle ideas that I have adapted to fight this devil friend of mine, which you can also try & see for yourself.
Consume right to think right (#food)
Even though I had been fit throughout my life on a basic level, I was having considerable issues with food, until I discovered Ayurveda. I understood that food is like engine oil on a bike. One needs to make sure to use the right one. It’s the fundamental choice I make every day. I think people are not aware enough of how much it can impact our bodies.
▪️ ️Sleeping issues -> Check food,
▪️ 2 Fatigue -> Check food,
▪️ 3 Low energy -> Check food,
▪️ 4 Stress/Negative thoughts/low-motivation -> Check food.
By doing so, at least your body can be supportive towards your mind & help you to face that distress.
Alcohol consumption
Considering me being a fan of wine & dining, it was torturous for me to reduce my alcohol intake, but with the sleeping issues, unavoidable overthinking & constant fear, I had no choice. After several months of struggle, the shift has been immense. It takes a lot of patience though, however, I made it.
The more I reduce it, the less inclination I feel towards it. Above all, my engine got happier & getting better day by day. Another soldier is in place to deal with that ghoul.
Move your body (#exercise)
This has been my strength, so it was not burdensome for me to get a grasp of it. All I needed to ensure is to make it consistent & sustainable and thanks to Yoga, I managed to put that in place. You are simply fooling yourself if you think you can avoid exercise in your everyday life.
As I also mentioned in my other post: If you don’t have time, move your body however possible. Some tips: Use stairs, walk to work, work standing, walk to shop, walk to walk etc.
As a result, your body gets stronger which helps you reduce stress, and improves your state of mind & now you have another soldier to tame that mental agony.
Creative work
The toil to concentrate on a given task (work, study etc.) is one major challenge among others faced by people with stress. It’s exhausting to find any work stimulating enough.
What has been working for me is engaging different senses in any work by doing something creative with my hands, like painting, pottery, craftwork etc. In my experience, by doing so, you use your body to get focused on your mind. This calms immensely & with time, you get another soldier to fight as a product.
Knowledge intake (from people or other sources)
You have to be vigilant with what you inject into your mind with information from different sources & from people in particular. The kind of people we spend time with, we seed the same sort of thoughts in our minds, and that’s how our life evolves, simply. What you talk about, becomes your thoughts. On the other hand, what you think is what you talk about. It’s a cycle, now whether it’s a vicious one or virtuous, is a choice.
To conclude, we must understand that it’s a slow process that requires a lot of patience & consistency. It’s challenging to overcome otherwise. I still juggle often, there are moments when I find myself struggling. However, at the end of the day, I know that I am growing, that I am winning and I understand that it’s a process that will take its own good time.
Voilà. I hope this helps you to get some perspective. Please share it with people you think can make use of this information.
Do you have any other thoughts? Connect with me on LinkedIn or Instagram
Stay healthy & stay cool,
Namaste! 🙏
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