Bless This Stress; It Helps Me See That I’m A Mess!

On Thursday, for the first time in seven years (since my husband’s retirement from the military), I experienced a full blown panic attack. My symptoms were so severe that my husband came home from work and took me to my doctor. The first words from my doctor were ‘What’s been going on lately? Is there something going on that is extremely stressful for you?’. My husband and I exchanged looks that said ‘What hasn’t been going on that’s not extremely stressful lately?’.

What is it about our society that’s made us think stress is such an enemy? It’s all we talk about, isn’t it?

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling stressed from listening to everyone talk about their stress!

We act as if stress is a horrible by-product of our overwrought society; that stress is a disease that needs to be cured; that stress is something that needs to be eradicated from our lives in order for us to find a healthy and peaceful existence.

But stress isn’t something to try to disguise or eradicate. Stress is a signal. When you recognize it, and work with it instead of against it, you can learn a lot about what you need to do to be happier and healthier. Stress is actually a blessing that can help you realize when you need to make changes in your life.

Post Title and Quote from the book ‘Life is Short - Wear Your Party Pants’ by Loretta LaRoche

If you don’t work with the stress in your life it can make you sick and manifest itself in a variety of illnesses or disorders, such as my panic attack on Thursday.

In an attempt to determine whether stressful life events might cause illness, Holmes and Rahe developed the Scale of Life Events as a predictor of illness. You can take the online version here.

There will always be stress, it is called living life. You can recognize the symptoms, calculate the risk of your particular stressors making you ill, and begin developing a plan to reduce what stress you can in your life and begin learning how to cope with the stress you cannot control, so it does not work against you.

My panic attack on Thursday helped me realize how during times of extreme upheaval, I disregard all my coping mechanisms and fall prey to anxiety and panic. I have realized that I let my first line of defense grow weak. It’s time to put on the armor of God.

And then go out and have some fun.

All we ever seem to do is talk about how much stress we have in our lives, but why doesn’t anyone seem to talk about how much fun they’re having?

I’ve never heard a single person say, “I’m such a mess; I had too much fun today!” Of course not, because that’s a completely illogical statement. Fun cancels out stress. The chemistry of fun reduces our anxiety levels and roots us in the moment - and when we’re living in the present, it allows the mind to stop the incessant demands that lead to ur feeling stressed.

Loretta LaRoche from Chapter One: ‘Say Yes to Stress’ from her book “Life is Short - Wear Your Party Pants.

This post is the first in a series where I put my own particular spin on Loretta LaRoche’s Ten simple Truths That Lead To An Amazing Life.

Don’t forget, if there is a question that you would like to have answered or a topic you would like to have discussed, be sure to email me at dbeverlyhills@gmail.com. All questions will remain anonymous. All answers will be sprinkled with my perspective.