There is no denying that anxiety and stress are linked to unhealthy patterns, leading to some of the worst health outcomes for people all across the globe. The world is and will continue changing, and demands will become the norm, creating an environment for people with avoidable chronic illnesses to increasingly experience these taking over their lives.
So, what do we do…learn to slow down or allow demands to take over our lives?
The answer is not straightforward; most people never learn to manage life balance. However, it is possible to slow down while meeting personal and professional demands. It all begins with the “self”—self-awareness, self-reflection, and self-love!
Self-reflection encourages us to make choices that support our unique needs, wants, and circumstances. It begins with intentionally engaging in behavior that enhances one’s sense of purpose in life, such as doing what is equally suitable for one’s mental health and the well-being of others. Practicing self-reflection provides an opportunity to be unequivocally honest with ourselves. It is not about others; it’s about you.
This behavior is raw and gives us a sense of enhanced self-awareness, which tends to bring joy, ease tension, and improve quality of life.
These three guiding questions may help clarify your introspective self analysis:
1. When was the last time you purposefully participated in an activity you love but now find no time for?
2. What’s stopping you?
3. Will doing so make you happy?
Self-awareness is a byproduct of self-reflection, as it’s the only way to integrate new behavior successfully. The feedback we receive from our introspective analysis is one that only each person can understand its meaning.
Doing so requires active mindfulness in being able to recognize that it’s okay to not be perfect, and having an open mind to identifying the things you need to address related to the cause of your anxiety and stress status quo.
Mindfulness brings about self-awareness and attention to details of what we do and how we do it, how we interact with those around us and the value each action brings to our lives.
By finding value, we find self-love and understanding, leading to a healthy and balanced holistic lifestyle. Self-love is hard when we continue to pour into others’ cups while neglecting our own. Self-love is the most valuable part of life.
It means we put ourselves first and make room for the most important things that bring value and eustress, aka positive stress. Most people are unaware that stress can also be a positive aspect and influence in our lives. We owe it to ourselves to live under “Eustress”.
It is possible to achieve all of our desired personal and professional milestones by becoming more self-reflective and aware of daily behaviors while practicing self-love.
Let’s find healthy stress and anxiety coping mechanisms that are centered around self and not the world around us.
Stay mindful 🧘🏽♀️
Dr Wen_Chronicles 
Leave a comment