Low-Stress Diet

In today's world - and quite possibly every other one - stress is inevitable. But not just every now and again; it seems as though it is always an appropriate time to be riddled with anxiety and fret. We have been told that this is simply the way of life, and we had better accept it/not fight it or - you guessed it - we'll be even more stressed out. I feel as though this is not 100% accurate.

Naturally, there are some of us who just appear to be more uptight more often; these incredibly shake-able individuals, it seems, are doomed to a life of anxiety. I am not confidant enough in my life-coaching abilities to say whether or not this is true. What I will say is: although I may not stress as easily over the typical things the masses do, I do stress out quite a bit over quite a few things that the masses may find to be of the mundane persuasion. Does this mean I have phobias? Am I destined to be the real-life version of Bill Murray in What About Bob?? Of course I am not trained in these topics, and so cannot be sure, although it seems as if I am starting to get a handle on it. So what is it, have I taken Dr. Leo Marvin's advice? Am I implementing the latest version of Baby Steps? In a way, yes.

I have made the conscious decision to take things a little more easily, to not expect too much of myself. To make and keep goals and ambitions, while keeping things as realistic as possible. Baby steps down the stairs.

These things are sometimes easier said than done, and naturally there are extraneous circumstances, but if you just nail down a few things, this smoothness will more often than not be your end result.

Don't double-book yourself; whatever this means to you, just try not to do it. If you get stressed easily when you make plans after work because you are worried you might have to stay late, or maybe the traffic will be a nightmare when you are released, or maybe you get very tired during work (to the point where you consistently just need to go straight home and sleep immediately), just don't rely on making plans after work. This will not only save your evening, it will also save your day at work.

Be realistic; I used to think that if someone called you "ambitious", it was meant as a compliment. In reality, being ambitious could be synonymous with taking on way too much - and in doing so, it is likely that you be unable to meet deadlines and/or not be able to give 100% on anything. As for scheduling, if you have never successfully gotten from your home to the destination in question in 20 minutes, don't plan to be there in 20 minutes. If ever in doubt? Just leave your starting point early. Even just a few minutes could make a huge difference. You will have a calmer commute and not fret so much over the traffic lights/traffic/etc... and maybe you'll just be super early to the hangout destination.

Be prepared/Be resourceful; it is my belief that everyone is at least one of these two. I try to be both as much as possible. Let's say that you do leave ten minutes early and arrive ten minutes (or more) early to your destination. If you are prepared? You will have a charged phone, great book, your laptop, favorite CD, some paperwork... something to occupy your mind and time as you await your pal. If you're resourceful? You will figure out a new article/game to check out on your phone, think of fun things to do/discuss with the person you are meeting with, better collect yourself, etc.

Create/Keep Healthy Surroundings; every person is essentially a human myna bird. The minute you surround yourself with negative people, negative music, negative media, you create a negative self. Don't let this happen to you (it is a slippery slope). Be proactive about spending your time with the people you love the most and make you feel the best. Listen to music that propels you into positivity. Even something as seemingly small as what you eat can make an enormous impact. Everything will not always be perfect, but the more things you make an effort to keep harmonious, the more harmonious you will be.


It it likely stressers will find you throughout your day-to-day, and such things simply cannot be helped. So why wouldn't you give your best efforts to start your day as stress-free as possible and control what you can in order to keep it that way?

Reminder

Today's post is going to serve as a quick little reminder to my future-self, and as such, is likely to be a bit less eloquent.

You've just been through a bunch of shit.
You had a killer job with a big-brother bar manager and a cool-aunt GM, but you gave it up in order to help a best friend while simultaneously giving yourself an opportunity to make more money. You got the money, lost the friend.
Around the same time, you lost another close friend because of her toxic choices.
When you moved for friend/opportunity, you moved by yourself and it was stressful and terrifying.
Your boyfriend eventually moved in and after one year, made it apparent that your appearance/other peoples' opinions meant much more to him than you did. That ended (after a very lengthy, stressful process).
You tried a new job, got to do work you really liked for a great, fair boss, and after you left, your co-worker decided to commit defamation of character, not only on you, but on cool boss person.
You moved back in with your mother at 29.
Your "Central Perk" was completely destroyed by an individual filled with malice - dunderhead sheep followers in tow.
You still tried to be social, ended up getting whisked away by another guy to find that he was not sweet & bizarre, but just bizarre, entitled, arrogant and possibly certifiable.

BUT!

You must not forget all of the incredible things that have happened. Your true family. Your art selling, the fact that you love your job here even more than the previous one, you are socializing OTHER places and in doing so have seen beautiful art and comedy and music you would have otherwise never thought to seek, you still have Jasper; the most beautiful, without-a-doubt-coolest car and co-pilot you could ask for. You may be at Ma's under duress right now, but at least you don't have a bunch of money problems and for the first time in your life you have a physical place as a back-up home, in case anything should happen.

Don't forget what you've been through because it serves as a reminder of what you can conquer, how strong you are. But don't let the past bullshit blind you from the incredible stuff right in front of you in current day.

Summer

Every winter I think it's never going to end; the violent winds, the harsh storms, the ice, the bitter temperatures, the agoraphobia that comes with it... And then it happens.

Summer. 

Some may argue that summer in Maine is no summer at all, but it is how I know the season best, and as such is completely comfortable to me. The warmer weather (this year, apparently, more than others passed), the shining bright sun, the festivals, concerts and events, the evenings that seem as though they will never end, the faith in humanity that comes with it. 

As I notice that my mood and overall outlook improves immensely with every warmer day, I also need to recognize that each summer (so far, ever the realist) is better than the last. One summer is great because I am around a new and exciting circle of friends, doing things I wouldn't normally do, or maybe another is great because of a new love, or maybe because I traveled or got into painting again, or writing, or there's a new job etc... This summer is great because there is a new spin on an old story. My loved ones; friends, family, community, town are surrounding me but in a brand new way. I am anything but bored, although I am quite comfortable. I love how hot it is. I love that friends are getting me out of my comfort zone. So far my favorite things that they have accidentally pushed me to do are going to Portland more casually (oh, you have a gig there? Yeah, I'll drive ya), attending comedy shows/entertainment, and certainly finally taking appropriate advantage of the fact that I live so close to so many natural bodies of water. That, paired with the swing of socialization and "yes-manning" I have fallen back into since getting into town, have made for what I would deem as a very successful summer. 

And it could be argued that I still have a whole month to go. 

Speaking of "It Could Be Argued", I have officially started writing again (thank God); "It Could Be Argued" and "In Case This Helps" will hopefully be on bookshelves before I die (but if not, not). It is just so incredible to have that writing drive. Nothing feels better. Maybe not even music... (!) But maybe. In addition to that fun creative aspect, I have also began painting again! I am not sure how far it will go, but it's awfully nice being easily inspired by fully immersing myself in the art community through my job, for once. Less pressure that way!

Alas, the coffee shop I am writing in (can you say "cliche"?) is about to close up shop, and so I must away.

This blog feels less poetic and more sloppy, but it'll do for now.