Pressure and Stress

Does this describe you?

(picture from: http://bloggingbehavioral.blogspot.com/2011/07/on-relieving-stress.html)

Or, do you ever feel like this?

(picture from: http://www.oakridgecentre.co.uk/page/562/NEWS-OAKRIDGE-DEVELOPS-PROGRAMME-TO-MANAGE-WORK-PLACE-PRESSURE.htm)

I noticed I was feeling this way about 2 months ago.  I was stressed at work, I was stressed at home, my friends were stressed, my husband was stressed, everywhere I looked there was stress and more stress.  I believed I was prepared for this, though.  I had a vacation scheduled for the future, I had a plan for when I was going to work out, my stress-relief plan was all set.  

What actually happened?  Answer:  for two weeks, I tried to follow my plan.  What actually got done on the plan: work and sleeping.  I did not do any of my stress relieving activities.  For these two weeks, I berated myself for not working out/following the stress relief plan.  AKA on top of the stress I was already feeling, I was adding guilt-stress because I was not following my own plan!

I realized this and allowed myself to be okay that I was not working out.  

I lost 7 pounds in two weeks. 

I'm sure this weight loss without working out will not continue forever and there is a great likelihood that I'm losing muscle mass instead of fat ... but what a relief, none-the-less.  AND: what a testament to the power of one's attitude.  

Therefore, today instead of asking yourself what is your workout plan or what are you going to do to relieve the stress in your life, I encourage you to check in on your attitude/your frame of mind.  

Are you giving yourself any grace as you try to shed those last few pounds?  If not, I encourage you to do so.  

Disclaimer:  I am not advocating not working out.  If you want some good ideas for what to do in times of stress, I encourage you to check out the websites where the pictures were found.  There is a lot of good (and bad) advice about how to handle stress on the internet.  If you need it, I encourage you to do some research and try out what works for you.