Life With Less Stress
Chances are that if you are reading this you have experienced stress in your life. If you have, you are not alone, my friend. I own and run a cleaning company in my local area. I was dusting this beautiful home a couple of weeks ago and suddenly did not feel well. I don’t really know how to describe how my body felt, but I knew something was not right. I was super-hot, felt off and my heart was racing. I happen to be near my mother and asked her to check how my skin felt to her. She said I was clammy. My heart was now up to 153 beats per minute, and I have been standing still, not climbing stairs, not running, not even pushing a vacuum. This happened 3 more times in a matter of 2 hours. While we were finishing up this home, I was also trying to field text messages from my contractors and clients. It was brought to my attention that a contractor had walked out on a job. The client was really looking forward to having her home cleaned prior to company arriving and they had recent construction completed. I was in no condition to complete the job that day and all my other contractors were unavailable. The job was not even started and the client fired us. I had been trying to manage both companies I own, meet everyone’s expectations and coordinate contractor availability and this all felt like too much in the moment. I came home that night laid my head on my husband’s chest and asked him if I could quit my “job.” Of course, it is not that easy when you are the owner of your job. Now weeks later I am doing better health wise and have resolved some of the issues that were causing stress. I did not need to quit my job. I also did not need to try to meet everyone’s expectations of me.
But I share this story with you to share something important.
The problem wasn't the client who fired us. It wasn't the contractor who walked off the job. It wasn't even the racing heart rate. Those were symptoms. The real issue was that I had convinced myself that I needed to carry everything. I needed to solve every problem, meet every expectation, answer every message, keep every client happy, support every contractor, run every part of the business, and somehow still have enough left over for myself and my family. That is unsustainable. Stress shows up in different ways. Sometimes it looks like irritability or exhaustion. Sometimes it feels like anxiety and sometimes it appears like your body waving a giant red flag and saying, "You can't keep doing this." Which is exactly what my body was doing that day dusting. Stress and how your body responds to it can be an indicator of where your boundaries have become blurry or they are being completed ignored. It can expose expectations we've placed on ourselves that are unrealistic. It can show you areas where you have been operating from fear, obligation, or perfectionism instead of wisdom. Looking back, I didn't need to quit my job or close my company down. I needed to reevaluate my priorities, responsibilities and boundaries. I needed to take care of myself and let God do the heavy lifting. Exodus 14:13-14 NLT “But Moses told the people, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. . .The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
Maybe you aren't running a business. Your stress might come from your finances, your family, your marriage, your career, your health, or simply trying to keep it all together. Whatever your situation, I want you to hear this: You do not have to earn your worth by carrying more than you were meant to carry. Matthew 11:28-30 NLT “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” If your mind, body, or heart is sending you red warning signs, don't ignore them. Get curious about them. Ask yourself what needs to change, where you need support. and what expectations need to be released.
I have gone back to the basics again and it is helping. I am adding back in intentional time reading and listening to scripture, praying, journaling and resting. I encourage you to do the same. Don’t let stress get the best of you. Go order my daily habit journal on amazon now and start making intentional time to take care of your mind, body and soul.
