Camo & Neon... and stress

I am realizing more and more the impact of stress and anxiety on our bodies. It’s unreal. Although we can cope to a certain degree… it really ages us and wears us down. No wonder my mom blamed her gray hair on us kids. But I don’t want to live under stress, I don’t want people, Peter, or the kids to remember me as a stressed out person. So I’m trying to spend extra time thinking, praying and brainstorming to put in place so that I don’t live like that. For extroverts it may look different, but for us introverts I think these things will help me.

Refusing busy. I recently read this motto, "I will say 'no' unless I can say "Hell, yes!"' I like it!

Finding joy in the small. Like running in the rain with the girls and savoring each Oreo--my go-to dairy free sweet. 

Cutting out distractions, clutter and extras. I've been doing three day a week tech fast, which has been amazingly productive, and I've also been slowly decluttering the house of things that I own out of a pressure to have them, from gifts that I don't use, to item's just in case. It's so freeing! 

Making quiet time & prayer a priority. Although this varies day to day. I really have been trying to even spend 5 minutes quiet, no pressure to have an amazing prayer time, which often makes for a great one anyway.

Finding simple and productive creative outlets. 

T (from C), shorts (pants from C, cutoffed by me), necklace (ebay), watch (timex)

Getting dressed every morning, can be a chore for some, but for me it's such an easy and fun way to feel good and get creative. Even without shoes (I love being barefoot), I feel put together, just by adding a fun necklace, scarf or mixing bold pieces. Camo and neon green seem to be meant for each other, huh?