2 Unexpected Ways to Reduce Stress

hey there!

Are you a perfectionist?

Are you stressed?

Are you anxious?

Do you have the personality traits of a perfectionist?

Did you know that being a perfectionist (or having perfectionist traits) to a certain extent can actually be a bad thing and even dangerous to some because of the high stress it can put on our health?

If you identify with any of this so far, you’re in the right place. Keep reading or watch the video in order to take action and start to get some control back for a healthier version of you.

I mentioned in my last post (7 Habits Causing you Stress) I share with you several perfectionist qualities, habits and/or traits that reveal how we are causing that stress and if you resonate with them you may be a perfectionist. Here’s where you will start to uncover if you take it to an extreme like I do, which can create A LOT OF STRESS over a lifetime.

I won’t linger on them long since I talk more about those 7 perfectionist traits causing you stress here, but if you resonate with a few that I’ll share here, you definitely want to keep reading.

1. Do you have an excessive need for control?

2. Are you super highly critical of others?

3. High attention to detail?

4. Obsessive thinking patterns?

It’s also very interesting to me how many of us are the SAME! Like it’s some sort of perfectionist personality type. I don’t think that’s real, but that’s how I’m classifying it anyway, lol!

I know you’re probably like………

That’s what I thought anyway AND ALSO these are a lot of things that I thought were good qualities and a part of what makes me feel successful. What about you? Successful in your careers, running your household or as a student, etc.?

What’s so wrong with being a perfectionist? Right?!

Well this gets filed under the quote by Aesop,

When these things just build and build and build and takes us to our breaking point, it is definitely not a good thing.

Having been through cancer and knowing that stress is linked to so many health issues and even cancer/recurrence, I knew I couldn’t let this control me anymore and got to my breaking point.

It wasn’t until I got to my breaking point, where I knew I just had to let go of the stress I was carrying. I want a better life for myself and my family, and stress robs us of that in SO MANY DIFFERENT ways.

That’s when I found my life mantra that is,

and this is where I’m at in my journey and I hope this will be helpful to supporting you on yours.

Looking back at all that stress and how I have been going through life the last handful of years, I can only describe it in this way.

It’s like I’m standing all alone on an island and I’m really really really far away from the rest of the world. I can see the things happening with my friends and family, I’m like ‘with’ them but I just can’t grab it or hold on to it. The stress takes us out of living in the moment… and that’s why I feel like I can’t hold on to what’s happening.

I do see a therapist so that I can keep a healthy mindset and I’ve been doing the work to help get myself off of this weird Island (maybe that’s what Lost was about?? 😉 Haha, I couldn’t resists) so that I can get closer and closer to reducing stress and living in the moment to keep those precious memories close.

What I found is, change really happens when these two things are put into place.

The first thing is when you’re at a point to able to become more and more self-aware of the things that you’re doing to yourself and/or maybe even projecting onto others (saying yes too many times or having crazy high expectations of others). You start to recognize these things happening over time, but then also you’ll start to notice them in the moment.

The second things comes after that, where you then start to see actual ways that you could change your actions, your reaction to things or behavior towards certain things, and most of all, your mindset (what we’re telling ourselves).

This is when a beautiful thing starts to happen.

You’re standing there on that island, living in a world that is so stressful and where you’re wound so tight and maybe you don’t even recognize yourself anymore. But now…… you start to see a bridge forming and off in a distance you see that amazing view come closer and closer and into focus.

It’s a view of a whole new place that looks Heavenly.

Picture it with me.

1. What’s your favorite place in the whole world to be?

2. It could be a place where you’ve actually traveled or visited. Maybe it’s a combination of some amazing memories and a dream state or dream like.

For me, it’s a beach-like setting (but definitely without sand because it can just be annoying, so we’ll just get that out of here).

There’s amazing bright blue, crystal clear water. The waves are a good size and I hear the sound of them crashing in…. like it’s forever high tide moving in.

I am in a lounge chair, with my feet up and (snacking on some kind of delicious snow cone) while I’m on my front porch of what seems to be our house. My husband is sitting next to me, singing and playing his guitar as we watch the kids in the yard.

The kids are laughing, dancing, frolicking around, just having the best time play and being SO KIND to each other (this is our dream state, right?! Ha!) 😉

I’m just lounging there just loving life. I’m sitting there taking it all in and taking those deep breaths of the salt in the air with the feeling of the hot sun on my face.

This is just my happy place and I hope you were able to picture yours too!

As you continue to step more and more into the self-awareness and start seeing the small ways that you can make REALLY SMALL ADJUSTMENTS, that’s when you can truly begin to put those adjustments INTO ACTION.

I know action can be a super scary word because we don’t have the time or we don’t have the energy and we don’t like change. But I promise these do not have to be big changes.

I’m not sure if you’re like me, but in theory I’m okay with change, but sometimes I see change as opening me up for failure because it’s new… and that’s where the perfectionist habits come into my world and the stress goes off the charts.

With these two changes or ideas, that’s where we can make tiny little micro tweaks and that will help get us to our happy place. The more that self-awareness grows, the more and more you begin seeing the small adjustments you can make to your inner thoughts and/or actions.

That’s when you’ll begin to see that bridge being formed—and bit by bit, board by board it starting laying out right there in front of you.

All you have to do is take a step into it.

Take that first step to get on your way to that happy place that you imagined.

If you’re still here reading, I want to say thank you, but most importantly I want you to thank yourself for doing the first step because if you’re here, you’re becoming self-aware and that will take you much closer to a balanced life that serves you better!

I’m still on my journey and small growth over time, equals big changes. It’s easy to say to ourselves you can’t have it all, but you just have to turn that off and remember that you deserve to put that effort in to yourself and allow yourself to get into that mindset and prioritize it and the rest falls into place.

You are smart enough and you’re strong enough. All you have to do is take that step towards that happy place and remember you don’t have to wait for the bridge to be built to take that first step.

I hope you found this information helpful and maybe even a little inspiring. If so, please be sure to share this content out to help other. Also be sure to check out what I’m doing over on YouTube. I invite you to subscribe for more valuable content and life hacks for a positive mindset to get you to a balanced life that you love (and are proud of)!

Thanks so much for being here and let’s grow together.

~ Jennie