HEALTH AND STRESS

Stress can really do a number on a person. It can wreck a person's body and eating habits, cause bloating and plenty of other physical symptoms, and let's not even talk about the emotional and mental toil it brings.

For a whole 10 days,the husband and I went through an extremely tumultuous period, thanks to a very sudden and untimely situation that plonked itself square in the middle of our lives. It didn't weasel its way in, no. It made a shocking entrance and just sat there, arms akimbo, sneering at us.

Worst week ever. 

I got the news just before we flew off to Seoul for 3-day trip with our friends, and bless them, they had to deal with us being less-than-ideal company (even though, bless them again, they insist we were great travel buddies). That feeling of a tight knot in your stomach and the fear of waking up because the same dreaded situation would still be there — oh I felt it all. Unadulterated.

At times I even had to remind myself to stop and take deep breaths. Or risk hyperventilating. Or breaking down into tears.

But sometimes you just have to trust in the big man up there, who not only can turn the impossible around, but can gift you with something far, far greater and more amazing than your current shitty situation. 

Fast forward 10 days and we received a miracle that we can only say is divine intervention. It's not us; it's all God. 

Which is where faith comes in. 

The little bit of faith that we had grew day by day, even at the moments we felt the most hopeless. The husband and I kept each other afloat with these reminders that we had to let go and let God, and with prayerful hearts, we just left it all up to Him. 

And of course, He delivered.

But that faith also sustained us through the 10 shitty days of pure turmoil and uncertainty, and it reminded me to take things slower and to be kinder to myself, especially since I was already experiencing so many stress symptoms like bloating, binge episodes, migraines and a whole load of emotions I didn't want to be feeling.

And so, take it slow I did.

You see, health is so much more than just physical well-being. It also includes emotional and mental health, and taking care of your head and heart are just as important as making sure you get your workouts in and your nutrition in check. The last 10 days have been such an important reminder of that. 

When I felt too drained to go to the gym, I gave myself an extra hour of sleep in the morning and just did Fitnessblender workouts at home whenever I felt up to it. 

When I felt like I wanted a good sweat in for stress relief, I chose longer workouts, and when I didn't, I picked shorter 20-minute HIIT sessions or just simply rested. 

I normally work out 6 days a week, but I gave myself a break and worked out for just 3. 

On the food front, I definitely have been much kinder to myself, which wasn't all that difficult to do since the complete 180 shift in my attitude toward nutrition.

I did do more than my usual share of comfort eating in Seoul (and beyond) and probably consumed more carb in that one week than I did in the entire 12-week program, but hey, it's all a work in progress and I'm not going to beat myself over it. 

I am experiencing quite a bit of bloating from both the overeating and the obvious effects of cortisol, the stress hormone, but it's all naturally going away now that I'm heeding my body's craving for natural, wholesome foods after too much processed stuff in Korea. My body's smarter than I give it credit for; it'll self-regulate back to balance as long as I listen to it.

I had poached salmon, quinoa, miso-braised eggplant and seaweed salad yesterday for lunch. Left the sweet potato after a bite because it was meh tasting. No pressure to clear my plate or eat anything I actually am not enjoying. 

I've also been taking the evenings slower and not packing 48 things on my daily To-Do list, 2 in each hour. I've been reading more, hibernating at home, and just enjoying long talks and cuddles with the husband.

In the end, I just feel so much more balanced physically, mentally and emotionally after intentionally treating myself with more kindness and allowing myself to slow life down. The amazing miracle that we received at the end of it was a sweet, sweet triumphant bonus, but consciously being gentler with myself during the difficult process of getting there was no less pivotal.

Credit:  Wildflower Lettering