While I was leading some adult training, a participant came up and said to me “… You are so peaceful!” I was shocked! You see, I was not always peaceful. In fact, until that day I had regarded myself a rather stressed person. This person’s comment dramatically changed my self-perception.

You see, I have spent most of my life stressing out almost constantly. At school the lessons were stressful and so was the playground. Later I worked for a multi-national company and the workload always felt more than I could achieve. I worked long hours and fell into an exhausted heap each night. Even on the weekend I felt like I had an oppressive to do list: shopping, tidying, cleaning, washing, cooking … It seemed endless.

My light-bulb moment came when I was in the early stages of a huge project. I came down with a chest infection, which the doctor later said was probably pneumonia. A colleague kindly agreed to take on my project. And as I snuggled into my warm bed, do you know how I felt? I felt relief flooding through me! Relief that I did not need to tackle that project. Relief that I could lie in this comfortable bed, without a single responsibility in the world. In fact, I had to rest. The sweetness of this moment was accompanied by a feeling of shock! Wow! Was my life really that difficult that lying in bed with pneumonia was a better option?!? Yikes!

You see, we live in this world in which we see being driven in our work as a good thing. People value the high achiever, the successful career woman. And the higher we climb, the more responsibilities we carry and the more challenges we face.

But you know that there is a cost. You can only push yourself so far for so long. And then, if you are not managing yourself in a healthy way, it can all become too much.

Have you ever felt stressed out day after day? Not just at work but also at home? Do you ever wonder if this is the life you are wanting? Or whether there is anything you can do about it, before you find yourself lying in a darkened room like I was?

I have found that the answer starts with small steps – by creating small moments of calm every day. And then, over time, these moments of calm can grow into minutes, and then hours. Until one day someone might say to you “You are so peaceful!”

I also found out that trying to change is very challenging. When I have tried to change and grow on my own, it has worked but it has taken a very long time. But now I meet regularly with a coach to give me insights which can speed up my growth. And I belong to a supportive community of people who are cheering one another on, so we can learn and grow together and hold one another accountable. Growing this way is actually much more fun and more likely to stick.

I have just started a Facebook Group, which I hope will grow into a supportive community, in which we can learn and grow together, finding more and more calm, and living with less and less stress.
Would you like to join us in this cosy and supportive community? Click on the button below.

I hope to meet you there soon.

Carolyn