Stress…
We all know stress is bad for us and it affects us and our health, but have you ever dealt with severe
stress and cut that stress out of your life and see the impact firsthand?
I have!!
Stress affects your muscles, your respiratory system, and your cardiovascular, endocrine, and
gastrointestinal systems in negative ways. That does not even cover what it does to your mental
capacities.
Story time!!
I had a job that was one of the most intense, fast-paced, belittling jobs with excruciatingly long hours
that I have ever experienced. I worked with some of the most incredible, smart, generous, and caring
humans in the world. Conversely, I worked with some of the absolute worst people, people who were
power-hungry and did not care what they had to do to get to where they wanted to be. It was hard to
know who to trust, hard to work with some people, and it was a stressful job. This job went from being
fun with all the people and the fast-paced workflow to being miserable and the stress began to spill over
into my personal life. I would come home from work exhausted and cranky, and I would go to bed no
later than 8 pm, some nights as early as 6:30 pm. I would get home and eat, usually something fast and
simple, and then crawl into bed and stare mindlessly at my phone, playing games or scrolling through
social media, or staring at some dumb television show. I was hating my life! I would shop on Amazon
daily just to fill some sort of void, I did not have the energy to go to the gym, and I did not have the
energy to care about the food I was putting into my body. I knew what I should be doing, but I was just
not able to do it. One day, I looked in the mirror while trying on a large shirt and could see my stomach
rolling over my sweats, and I knew I needed to make a change! I found a gym close by, which happened
to be a HIIT gym with set times and structured workouts, so I know I would be able to just go at the
same time and not have to build workouts. It was an expensive gym, so I started with a pass for 3
workouts per week, and with the amount I was paying for those 3 classes I knew I would use the pass!
About week 2 or 3 of working out at this gym, I began to feel more like myself, my brain fog was lifted,
and I was seeing how unhappy I was and how miserable I was to be around. I knew more changes were
in store. The problem was my career, so I took a long look at what I was doing, what I could do, and
what I truly wanted to do. That is when I decided it was time to go back to school. I wanted to get a
master’s degree since my Sophomore year in College, so then it was just deciding what I was going to
get my master’s in. I knew I did not want to go to school for business, I wanted to choose something I
wanted to do and cared about. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do, and I thought about
the last time I was happy with my path. That moment happened to be 10 years earlier when I was in
college and studying Exercise Science. In my Senior year, I had multiple internships, all of which were fun,
but my favorite was interning at the community hospital as a health coach. I thought it was so cool to
work with people to better their lives and become healthier, it was my dream job. I found a school that
was for health coaches, and it happened to be fully online so I could work and go to school, so I figured
it all out and I applied. I remember sending my application and thinking “I got this”, I had a great GPA in
College and it was in the same field, so no way I am not getting in, right? The day I got my acceptance I
started crying because I knew that was the first day of living out my dream, 23-year-old me would be so
proud and excited. I had the idea of what I was going to do with my degree, and everything was planned
out. I took my first class while I was still at this stressful job and decided to start a business as a health
coach. The idea was to get my feet under me and get the name going, after all I had a good income, so it
seemed like a great time to start it. When I started the second class the reality of the stress from
everything came crashing down. I knew right then that I would not be able to go to school, maintain this
stressful job, and start a business of any sort, I just did not have the energy to do it all. My working out
halted, my sleep schedule went awry, everything seemed to be closing in and I was starting to lose it.
My boyfriend looked at me and told me I had to quit my stressful job. This was in September, and I said,
“Let’s wait until December, and get through the holidays”. October came and I was miserable, so my
boyfriend and I sat down and decided it was time to pull the plug, something had to give and it was not
going to be my dreams.
So I quit, and immediately the weight was lifted, I was able to focus more on Ignite Health Coaching, I
was able to focus on school, I was able to get my certifications, and everything was coming together! I
had no idea how leaving a job would affect me! I left in October, it is now May the next year and I have
lost over 10 pounds with minimal life changes. I have begun working out more and enjoying working
out, I have found my passion for cooking and for food again, and I am more creative and fun to be
around. My life has changed so drastically since leaving the stressful job that I wanted to share this with
everyone! Following your dreams is the only way to do life in my opinion because we only get one life to
live. Leave that stressful job, chase that crazy dream of yours, and jump!!
Life after chronic stress, I sleep better, I laugh more, I move more, I eat more, and enjoy researching
what and how to eat, I challenge myself more, and I create more! Stress is a struggle in our world today,
we all experience it and to a point, it does add a little flare to life, but chronic stress sneaks up on you
and slowly debilitates and makes your life miserable. Find your passions, and find any way to follow your
heart because these are the ways you will be able to truly destress.