Stress Management!
As we all know, The Autoimmune Protocol is so much more than just diet. Yes, the foods we eat play a huge role in how we feel, but lifestyle factors are also a MAJOR component to managing autoimmune disease.
Today I'd like to address STRESS.
Stress is right up there with gluten on my list of worst things ever for my health. I avoid it when I can but life can be stressful even when we try our best to avoid stress.
Getting stuck in traffic, waiting in line at the grocery store, family drama, work deadlines, stress can seem like it's lurking around every corner ready to jump on us and take us down. It's inevitable, it's part of life.
The answer is not to seal ourselves in a bubble and never leave the house or interact with people (which can be tempting sometimes...) but to learn how to not let stress get the best of us, and learn to manage life's inevitable stress.
Yoga and meditation are wonderful for some. Long walks in nature are also good for the soul. Also, therapy or talking to a trusted friend or family member, and don't forget asking for help if you need it and setting healthy boundaries instead of always saying yes. Being too much of a people-pleaser will stress you out! Mantra: It's okay to say no!
I'm guilty of getting stressed out. I don't have stress dialed in as well as I have with the food aspects of the Protocol. I'm a work in progress.
Recently I had to weed a toxic person out of my life and had a great deal of stress to manage because of that. I had to reach in my toolbox and use every tool I had to deal with that giant heap of stress.
Some of my tools were better than others. Going out on the town for a night of (reintro) vodka fueled rebound fun- eh, that tool probably belongs in the trash heap.
Taking long walks every day in nature- YES! Keeper! Very therapeutic!
Lifting weights- keeper!
Writing a song about the experience and putting it to music- time consuming but ultimately very therapeutic!
That last act put the crisis to bed. There is nothing left to deal with.
I'm grateful to have music to turn to in times like that.
Someday I hope to learn to meditate, but so far I have failed miserably at each attempt. ..Thank goodness for my guitar!
Here's my song. Bye Bye Pablo. Good riddance to toxic people and bad relationships. I value my health and sanity so much more.
Until next week 💞
View free behind-the-scenes clips or sign up for monthly exclusive recipes on Patreon here!: https://www.patreon.com/RealWorldAIP