Feeling Stressed?

3.30

The basics 'always' work because, well, they're the basics. We all go through seasons of stress, and choices which follow the whispered lies of our western lifestyle, and include high levels of cortisol and adrenaline which destroy our health. I've posted on this before, and how a wellness lifestyle is the best relief valve for stresses of all kinds.

Not only are wellness choices great at combating stress, but they also bless us with a long life. Last year I had done a post on the Blue Zones popularized by Dan Buettner - check it out here.

The point with the blue zones is that pockets of some cultures display long, healthy, well-adjusted lives among their citizens. Consistently. And the world has noticed (at least some prescient researchers have). What do they do differently?

They combat stress with good living. Not just clean living or some crazy-strict diets, but simple, good living. Things like these punctuate their days and lifestyles:

• Put family first
• Smoke little or not at all
• Eat a plant-based diet
• Engage in constant, moderate physical activity, no matter what age
• Social interaction - staying engaged in community
• Make legumes a regular part of your diet

So, how are we doing? I ebb and flow between authentically engaging in these choices and alternately getting sucked along the path that work and busy schedules creates in our lives. Are you finding lifestyle bandwidth to practice these choices?

The way to reduce stress is to pull back from the crazy, ragged edge that blurs hours into days and weeks into months. And if you've lived on that edge, you know that you wake up one day and realize you've missed out on life... You may have accomplished much in the world's terms, but were you truly living?

If you find yourself on the ragged edge, step back. Reset. Take life, take living, seriously enough to realize that the world's dreams and promises are empty shells. True wealth is found in genuinely engaging in what we learn from the blue zones. Find growth, health and power in simple choices. Put crazy aside, and give yourself space to heal and really live.

By the Way

Want a secret to not just reducing stress, but eliminating it? Try generosity... and gratitude. Studies prove beyond any doubt that simple life practices like gratitude and generosity take away the cortisol and adrenaline coursing through our bodies, and yield healing and restoration.