The Rat Race and the Rat is Winning!

Ok, I know we need to stay in the game. How can you score if you are not playing? Maybe this is you: change in mood, unexplained blood pressure rise, feeling blah, mind wandering, or I just don’t understand why I feel this way. It is time to begin to evaluate your life. How can you lead in this kind of condition? Good question.

There are those in the medical community who say that short-term effects of stress are: being unable to solve problems, being tired, or being easily irritable. Medical people also say that some long-term severe effects of stress may be: digestive issues, can’t sleep, and anxiety. (This is not an exhaustive list but just some examples.)

Is it time for you to stop and smell the roses? I have listed a few things that might help and, yes, I am speaking from experience!

It is time to put down your electronics. Look at yourself over the next few days and the use of your phone, computer, TV’s etc. How are they intersecting in your life? Are you in control or are the electronics in control? Ok, no joke. What is your answer?

Slow down. Take time to eat at a slower pace, enjoy your food. Allow more time to do this. Think about what you are doing and focus on the meal. You will need to do some planning to get this done.

Work on one thing at a time. Be all in with your task. When something tries to pull you away, stop and refocus on the task you are doing.

Life is full of noises. But is our body designed for full throttle noise? You get up with noise, the alarm clock. You have the noise with all the electronics in your life. Find some quiet time each day. Shut down for a little while. You will find out this world will still be there when your quiet time is over.

Stress is a key to having an unhealthy life I know I have been there. When you feel yourself getting upset with something, back off. We all have things that upset us from time to time. It is part of life. Someone once said, “Take a chill pill”.

Enjoy God’s creation! Study the birds at the bird feeder, take some nature trips, plant a garden, just go outside and see what God has made for you to experience in His creation. Watch a sunrise or a sunset.

Some people are just not creative but most are. If your life is too busy, it may affect your creativity. If you find your self stuck, stop thinking, take a walk, a nap, or close your eyes and relax. This is a paradox: stop thinking to think!!

I am going to suggest something heretical: make your car a non-workspace. Yes, I said it; turn off the phone in the car. If you need to do work, plan to stop, have a cup of coffee, and do your work. Oh, by the way, this will make driving safer for you and others.

Just thought of something crazy: do something you have not planned! Many of us need to have a road map for our lives. If you are like me: “I need to know.” Well, the truth is we don’t always need to know. Surprise yourself and do something unplanned.

Take a look at your spiritual life. Life looks different when you know you are not in this world alone. When you discover that you are not an accident, it will effect how you see your life and the world. So, pray more, read God’s word more (for those who are Pastors: read God’s word not as your work but just because). Spend time in conversation with others about God’s work.

As you “slow down”, enjoy the “slow down” and be prepared to see your life become steadier and more relaxing.

Enjoy these quotes!

“It takes a real storm in the average person’s life to make him realize how much worrying he has done over the squalls.” -Author Unknown

“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” – Mark Twain

“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” – Author Unknown

(This is not a medical document; please consult your physician if you have physical or mental challenges in your life.)