I Intentionally Stressed Myself Out- Here’s Why

Most of the content here is about how to reduce your stress.  You should declutter so your house isn't messy, and you're more relaxed, etc.  But sometimes it's okay to add a little stress to achieve something good in the end.  I recently did this, and if you want the details on how and why adding stress has helped me, keep reading, or check out the video here!

How my recent experience stressed me out

Last year I had a major surgery for a chronic health issue.  After regaining a lot of my functionality, I was left NEVER wanting to be in that position of poor health again.  Now some things are obviously out of my control.  But I really want to live as healthy of a lifestyle as I can to prevent illness and disease.

Because of that, I decided to really step out of my comfort zone.  I've read so much about how good weight lifting is for health, healthy weight, bone density, aging, etc.  But I have NEVER lifted weights in my life, LOL!  I've done plenty of cardio, but never weights.

Needless to say, I was insanely intimidated.  Honestly the whole prospect stressed me out a ton.  I had to research where to go, which gym to join.  How should I even begin to start lifting weights when I knew nothing about it?

I decided to join my local Y, and I signed up for personal training.  I'm super shy, so that in itself was stressful.  I know the trainers are there to literally help you, but I was just so intimidated and uncomfortable.  It was embarrassing, too.  I was 40 years old and had never lifted a weight.  Then when I started, the 3 lb. weights were challenging– ugh!

Then there was the time factor.  I had two sessions per week, and obviously, they were at a set time.  I didn't miss a single one in about seven months!  But that definitely was not always easy!  A few of those days were just, well, really bad.  I had so much other stuff going on, or I was upset about something.  If I hadn't had the appointment, working out would have been the last thing on my mind.  But I showed up, even when it was really hard.

The results were worth it

Now, I'm not going to tell you I'm some super strong buff lifter these days.  But I have improved soooo much over the last seven months!  I'm stronger for sure.  My weight sizes all increased, and I just feel stronger.  I'm lifting heavier things in daily life rather than asking my husband for help.  It has just made me a healthier, stronger, more confident version of myself overall.

I even now have the confidence to continue with lifting on my own, without the trainer.  And so far that plan has stayed consistent as well.  So while I'm not a pro, I'm definitely now capable of working out with weights on my own.

Other areas where stress can help

Lots of things in life are difficult at first.  There's some saying about having to work hard for things that are worth having.  It's really true!  Most of the time the most rewarding things really do take a lot of work and are difficult, at least at first.

For example, maybe laundry is a big problem at your house.  Starting a load-a-day routine might be exactly what you need to do.  At first it might cause more stress.  Now, you'll eliminate the stress that comes from it piling up into a laundry mountain, and maybe you won't be running around in the mornings trying to find a clean pair of underwear.  But you'll have to work something “new” into your daily habits.  You'll have to think about it and have the stress of trying to remember it every day.

You'll also have to face your problem.  Before, you only had to face the fact that laundry was a real problem at your house maybe once or twice a month.  Now you have to think of it every day.  When I wasn't lifting weights, I could kind of keep that health/lifestyle problem in the back of my mind.  But then all of a sudden I was thinking about how I wasn't really as strong as I should be twice a week!  It really is hard and uncomfortable (stressful, really!) to think about our failings.

But both of these are problems that need to be faced.  I'm not going to just magically get healthier without doing any work, and the laundry is never going to do itself.  Sometimes it's necessary to just do the hard thing to make things better and easier down the road.  I wish I had started this weight lifting thing about ten years ago!  I think I'd be way healthier by now.  But better late than never.

What are some things you think you might have been putting off?  Is there any “stress” you should consider adding to your life?

Organization that actually sticks for busy, happy lives