I’ve mentioned it before in quite a few posts, and I’ll probably keep at it like a broken record, but remember to take time for yourself. 
With a lot of things in life, I think we add more stress than what’s warranted. I’ve come to that realization with a few things.
One of those things of late (for me) has been applying to grad schools. I feel such pressure. I want to provide a better life for my family. I want to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) so badly. But there’s only so much I can do from my end. I can apply, pay the fee, submit the paperwork and send in my GRE scores. The rest however, is on others. The people doing my references and the people processing the paperwork, well, that’s on them. After all that, it depends on my own tenacity and whether or not I want to continue pursuing that path.
My other issue is money of course. We don’t ever have enough time or money it seems. But we’re blessed in that those are first world problems. I have to remind myself that.
In the grand scheme of things, none of it matters. I’m blessed with good health, have clothes on my back, food to put in my belly and a roof over my head.
I’ve had to learn that my actions, how I feel and deal with people; those are things I can control. I can’t help others unless they want to be helped. I also can’t change their attitudes.
For me, that’s a tough pill to swallow. I work in a high-stress environment. So many of my peers and co-workers unnecessarily burden themselves with so much stress and responsibility, it makes me want to beat my head against the wall. What’s even worse is when they displace some of that stress on me! But as I’ve said, I’ve had to sit with it all and realize the only thing I can do in this life is control myself. I have to remind myself that I’m doing good deeds. And that when I go to work, no matter how long I’m there, I’m going to do the best I can and be the best I can be.
I can’t say it isn’t hard though.
I’ve been delving into yoga and meditation so much lately. I’m also planning to start some form of Martial Arts soon. Really looking forward to that.
Yoga and Meditation are funny in that they can be as much or as little as you want. I recently watched a documentary on Netflix, Enlighten Up. It was an interesting documentary on yoga and the commercialization of it in the West. I’ve never thought I’d become such a hippy, but here I am.
For so much of my life, I denied the mental and the spiritual. But here I am, looking inward. There’s nothing wrong with being rooted in the physical. We all see what we can see. What we are willing to see.
And there’s nothing wrong with that.
That’s why yoga and meditation fascinate me so much. They can be an experience that is a great workout, or they can allow you to find calm and peace. For some, these can even be amazing spiritual experieneces.
And you know what? Whatever you choose, there’s nothing wrong with the choice you make. The fact that you’re trying to do something to better yourself, to push yourself, the better your experience. That’s what it’s about.
So whether it’s taking a few moments to sit and think, to enjoy the chirp of birds, to rock climb, whatever, I strongly urge you to do so. Unplug yourself from the constant barrage of shit that’s thrown at us. Take a moment for you, even if it’s just that… a precious moment.
Until next time dear friends!
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