I’m Anna, a 30-year old gal living in Toronto. If you want to put labels on me I’m an entrepreneur, a mentor, a wife, daughter, sister, friend, yogi, travel junkie… without labels I’m just like everyone else who is on their journey of self discovery, trying to leave a positive mark on the Universe.
What I’m witnessing on this beautiful journey of mine is the lack of “inner peace” and an overload of “stress” that has become the norm in our society today. Everyone is constantly rushing. Why are we rushing? It’s definitely not making us more productive and its having a negative affect on our health. Women especially feel as though they have to be everything to everyone and they have to do it all, all the time. The only way to get through the day is 2 cups of coffee and a vigorous sweat session at the gym. Social media has created a society that’s anti-social and lacks an authentic presence. Facebook and Instagram showcase “picture-perfect” lifestyles, where hair is beautifully curled (always) and if you’re not green juicing and eating kale then something’s wrong with you. How can you not be “stressed”?
But what the heck is “stress?” Stress is perception.
As an ex-Corporate professional climbing the corporate ladder, I was someone who used to be way too hard on myself, an over-achiever, type-A, with a never-ending to-do-list, and always “stressed”. Even though I would actually never say, “I’m stressed,” I was internally stressed at my cellular level. My adrenals were shot.
One day I made a decision to stop. Stop everything. I decided to stop analyzing, controlling, focusing on what I “should” be doing and instead I focused on me. I asked myself, how did I want to feel every day? And the answer was “Free!!” I needed to figure out if I was feeling FREE, then what would I be doing? Who would I be spending time with? What would I be eating? What words would be coming out of my mouth? How would I react to situations? And I went to this place every day.
I realized that nothing “bad” actually happened when I didn’t get everything done on that to do list. It was like magic. I released the pressure and everything was OK, pretty awesome right? Since that day, I’ve made a conscious decision to release the self-pressure. I constantly remind myself that this journey is about becoming the best version of me, and showing up each day ready to play full-out. It’s not about becoming “perfect” and this brings a whole new happy each day!!
14 Ways I’ve Learned to Live a More Joyful Life
- Disconnect. (absolutely no need to respond to your email, text, FB messages, whatsApp, Viber, etc. right away)
- Just breathe. (inhale the good stuff, exhale the bad stuff)
- Get on a mat. Indulge in a frequent yoga practice
- Smile.
- Don’t be so hard on yourself (its OK to skip a workout or not have a green smoothie for breakfast)
- Take a high quality multi-vitamin 2x per day.
- Drink lots of filtered water.
- Have some Giddy Yo-Yo. (raw chocolate fuels the soul)
- Travel often.
- Have a Gratitude Journal beside your bed.
- Get lost in a great book.
- Walk barefoot in a park.
- Instead of coffee drink dandelion tea. (especially if you’re always rushing)
- Surround yourself with people who believe in your dreams.
- 14 Ways to Stress Less and Live A More Joyful Life - Jan 31, 2015
