Drowning In a Sea of Stress? **Read This** to Get Off the Hamster Wheel!
“Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness.”
~Richard Carlson
I don’t know about you, but 99% of the people I know are stressed out to the max. That’s a hell of a lot of people. Phrases like, “I’m so busy” and “I have too much on my plate” are words that, as they roll off your tongue, indicate the heightened stress levels in your mind and body. Given the majority of us have opted in to a high-speed, high-tech, tightly-scheduled existence, we seem to have created a world that is, well, to be blunt, crazy-making.
We’re running from one place to another, working like mad, not sleeping enough, eating unhealthy food, staying in soul-sucking relationships, drowning in debt and putting ourselves behind the eight-ball on the regular. And in this kind of world, when we work our knuckles to the bone, it’s viewed as “success” or “getting ahead.” But you know what it really is? A fast track to sickness, anxiety, sleeping problems, relationship conflicts and an overall sense of distress. Sound like a good time? NOT.
So while we’re keeping up with the Jones’s (and running up our credit cards) to send a message out to the world that we’ve “made it,” the reality is we’re so stressed out, we can’t even think straight. And that is the opposite of magical living.
Getting OFF The Hamster Wheel
So what can we do about it? If stress is regularly rearing its ugly head in your life, the first step is to realize the way you have your life set up is not working. (Yep, getting honest with yourself is essential.) The second step is to write down, in detail, all the changes you sense are necessary to get back to center. (This will require you to identify what’s stressing you out or bringing you down… and how to get free of it.) The third step is to start taking action.
Sure, making some cha-cha-cha changes is going to take courage, but you can do it. Remember, your life and happiness depend on it. (Shall I elaborate on why this is true? Keep reading.)
See, our nervous system is a gateway to everything that’s magical in this world. When we have peace on the inside, the outside world plays along. And in order to bring a sense of calm and serenity to your inner life, you have to work at it. You have to begin undoing the bullshit you’ve been led to believe all your life. Falsehoods like, “You have to push to get ahead in life” and my personal favorite: “Making money is hard.” No, no it’s not.
Making money, having harmony in your relationships, staying healthy and feeling calm as a cucumber can all come to you in a simple, uncomplicated manner, as long as you increase the balance and stability of your nervous system.
Meditation, prayer, CBD oil, fresh food, reducing the time you’re staring into a screen, sleeping 8-9 hours a night and structuring your day in a way that brings balance into your life are all ways to take “it” down a notch (stress, I mean).
Once you start to calm the hell down, you’ll actually be opening the door for all sorts of magic and miracles to start popping up in your reality. Both the Vedas (India’s most ancient scriptures) and my own experience affirm there is a direct connection to a nervous system that’s humming and supernatural abilities. And if this is the first time you’re hearing that, you’re welcome.
Connecting to the Cosmos is hella hard when you’re stressed and freaked out. So, we’ve got to put in the time and effort to rewire ourselves and our daily routine, to pave the way for the Universe’s magic to flow our way. That’s what my whole first book, Enlightenment Is Sexy, was all about. In order to create a magical life, you have to slow it down enough to tap into your intuition. To be able to hear the guidance we’re all receiving all the time.
When your system is noisy and stressed (think jacked-up sense organs), you’re incapable of hearing the call. That’s why meditation, eating healthy, slowed-down meals and spending time in nature are such powerful tools for living a life filled with enchantment.
The next time you feel yourself stressed out, stop and remind yourself:
The more wound up you are, the lower your chances you’ll be experiencing all the wonder this world has to offer.
And by the way, with stress comes less creativity and more illness. So the next time you think to yourself, “Well, that’s how I’ve always done it” or “But that’s how I was raised,” stop and punch yourself in the head. You are in charge now. You get to decide how things are going to be done. You KNOW what is best for you and your nervous system.
As a free-thinking adult, you get to arrive at your own conclusions. In a world filled to the brim with stress, be a unicorn. Do the opposite of what everyone else is doing. Slow it down, Jackie Brown! And see what shows up in your life. I promise you, you won’t regret it. You’ll be in for a much more amazing ride and feeling calm as a clam, to boot. And that is a recipe for magical living.
Peace & Love,
Valerie
