Recently, I realized how much my head was swirling... with things it didn’t need. Things that were confusing - or downright contradictory. Things like: • Alcohol is bad for you. • A glass of red wine a day is good for you. • Coffee is bad for you. • Coffee protects against liver cancer. • Get up at 5am to do morning yoga and meditation. • Get up when you want and figure out your most productive time of the day. • Running is bad for you. • Running is good for you. • Drink more water! • Only drink filtered water. Argh! It was making my head spin. See, here’s the thing: There is SO much noise out there. And if you’re like me, it can often feel overwhelming: I recycle like a fiend… but I love plane travel! I don’t want to eat sugar… but I want to enjoy cake with friends on their birthdays! Running makes me feel free and clears my head… but it’s bad for my knees! I realized I was carrying so much round with me in my head… all day, every day. A constant, silent loop in the background. So after a week where I:
I decided to STOP once and for all. Stop the chatter in my head. And I realized three important things: 1. NO ONE has it all figured out. No one at all. If you’re an expert in one area of your life, you’re likely falling short in another area. This goes for everyone. So take what you read - or hear - with a pinch of salt. Including this, if you like ;) I like to think I’m a good writer. But when it comes to dealing with issues with my partner, I’m terrible at communicating. (I’m embarrassed to admit that, but it’s true.) So ignore anyone who pretends they have it all figured out. They don’t. 2. We are all going to die. I don’t mean that as pessimistically as it sounds! What I mean is that if you: • eat organic food only; • do the optimal amount of exercise (whatever that is); • don’t drink or smoke; and • only drink water sourced from the fresh springs of southern France… You are still going to die. Sorry to say. We are all going to die. There is no miracle lifestyle that will change this. So relax! Let’s enjoy balance in our lives; And be as healthy as we can; While keeping a healthy dose of perspective. 3. Hearing about what I should or shouldn’t be doing makes me feel stressed. Work out more. See friends more. Take time for yourself more. Travel more. Reduce your environmental footprint. Spend time with your kids. Let your kids have time to themselves. Drink good wine. Give up alcohol. Get your vitamin D. Stay out of the sun. Call your parents. Speak your truth. Be kind to people. Give away your money. Save your money. The list goes on. ARGH! Stressed is not a feeling I want to have. So instead, here’s what I tell myself: a. I am okay – whether I do those things or not. They might help me – but I’m not going to ruin my life overnight if I don’t do them all. (In fact, my life probably won’t change a ton if I do those things.) b. I am going to be fine. I’ve been fine so far… so why would this change? I have got through yucky times. Times when I was: • sick • tired • bored • sad • lonely • scared • homesick • inconsolable • disliked • heartbroken. I’ve got through them. And I will again. c. My body will let me know what I need. Truly. What do you really need? Sleep? Exercise? Chill time? More time out the house? More time spent with other people (or less time)? I think you know deep down. So listen to the natural barometers we're all born with (our heart and gut). What do you really need? d. I am the only person who can tell me what I truly need. You can read expert opinions til you’re blue in the face…. but how does an expert know more about your life than you? What is right for one person could be terrible for another. What works for me at 40 might work for you at 21. Or 55. Or never. Who knows! Don’t give your life over to “experts”, without asking: Is it truly helping you, or just making you feel stressed? The upshot… Today, I give you permission... Permission to:
(Or take a few, and leave the rest.) Because I believe this is the century they’ll look back at and say: “What the hell? They had everything they wanted and needed – but they made themselves feel shitty about it!” And we can stop that right now, if we turn down the volume on the noise. Now your turn! Are you fed up of all the noise? What have you heard or read that is making you feel bad? Is it worth you ditching it, for your peace of mind and sanity? I’d love to hear in the comments - or you can ping me an email! Claire PS – I realize that this blog also counts as “noise”. If you need to duck out from it for a while, that's totally fine! PPS – I’ll be starting a new feature on my Facebook page soon: “Share Your Wins!” If you have a win you’re celebrating (big or small, silly or serious), let me know - I’d love to celebrate with you!
4 Comments
9/22/2017 08:40:15 pm
So so true, Priscilla! I quite agree! And I've had enough with noise on to-do lists ;)
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Colleen Joelle Hamilton
9/27/2017 09:30:24 pm
Hoo boy, this rings so true. Especially (for me) with eating. Sometimes I feel paralyzed not knowing what 'healthy' is, other than straight up vegetables. Basically everything else has someone, somewhere, saying it is bad for you in some way. And even some vegetables get a bad rep (starchy veg! night shades!). Sigh.
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9/28/2017 11:07:19 am
Hi Colleen - yes I totally hear you on that. There is SO much out there about what to eat and what not to eat. Which is a shame as it spoils our enjoyment of and relationship with food, and creates anxiety where there likely doesn't need to be any. I struggled with this for a while until I realized what was important to me - eating mainly "natural" foods (but not freaking out if I don't), and eating less foods with lots of ingredients listed. If I don't know what an ingredient is, I try to avoid the product. And the 80/20 rule is great; eating healthily 80% of the time... I still eat ice cream and choc fudge cake... and that's not gonna stop! :)
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