Note To Self:

I was reading my sister's magazine from the library and happened upon a stress test.

As in the, if you got mostly........A's......B's......or C's  kind of test.

While some of the questions were kinda pretty lame, some of the questions were good- even poignant, and made me think through my answer.

And while you could tell the topic for each type of answer, I realized that they were pretty applicable.


When I finished the quiz, I had "mostly B's" which meant that stress affects me psychologically.

The funny thing is that before I took it, I didn't really know how stress was in my life.

But after reading the explanation, I thought,

"Yeah.
Uh-huh.

DUH."


Reading further, I realized that stress is most definitely evidenced in my life in exactly that way!
Sheesh. Sometimes I don't even realize how smart I am. or not

"For you, tension translates into very real anger, tears, anxiety, or other emotional reactions. You may benefit from cognitive restructuring--a technique that involves challenging automatic negative thought patterns--either with a therapist or on your own. For example, if your first response when your boss sets an impossible-to-meet deadline is to get upset and fret, 'I'll never get this done,' instead try taking a deep breath and thinking, 'I will try to get this done.'
Another cognitive technique that can help is emotional expression--talking, or even better, writing about your problems. 'New research shows that when you write about a stressful event, you achieve a catharsis you can't get by talking,' [Alice] Domar says. So pull out that journal, and try to nurture yourself by making time to do things that genuinely make you happy--from playing the piano or gardening to hitting the movies or going for a long run."

Sooo, yeah.
That is what I've been thinking about today.
That is exactly the kind of advice I need to follow.


During this season in my life, I'm trying to be proactive.

I need to be proactive about taking care of myself.

Not in a selfish, 'my way or the highway' attitude, but in an attitude of recognizing that if I don't take care of my self, my stress will soon make me (& my heart) angry, fearful, worried, anxious, irrational, and overwhelmed.

So,
thanks, Health magazine,
for the perspective, surprisingly sound advice, & fresh take on little old me :)