What to do when the weight of the world is on your shoulders…

Last week was one of those weeks for me…

For the sake of transparency, and being authentic, I wanted to share with you all where my heart was last week and why it was a powerful growing experience for me.

Have you ever felt burnt out, never good enough, defeated, like the weight of the world was on your shoulders and you didn’t know how to turn things around? That was me last week. It’s funny because as a health & fitness coach, I lead other people to process through their emotions, negative patterns, self-doubt, and baggage that they hang onto. So, when it comes to feeling those things myself, I feel extra broken. I’m “supposed” to be better than this…to know the answers…to…never…struggle? Wait, that’s not realistic…but that was the expectation I subconsciously had on myself.

Ok, Jessica, pull it together, you need to be able to work full time in a job that emotionally drains you daily, to run a side full-time business that is actually you living out your passion, but is just starting out so takes extra time and effort to get off the ground, but also be fully present when you’re home to soak in your son who is growing way to fast (you don’t want to miss a second of this, do you??), make sure the house is clean, meals are prepped, groceries are fully stocked with healthy options like a good “wife” (none of these crazy expectations come from my husband, might I add..all self inflicted here), wake up at 0400 every morning to complete your workout without struggling to get up in the morning, also for goodness sakes, go get your nails & hair done and a spray tan every now and then, you need to remember to be a girl in all of this, oh and figure out what kind of projects need to be started on the house, the front and back yard are looking pretty crappy, so you guys should start working on that so the neighbors don’t think your white trashy…ALSO your car is making weird noises, I know you decided to not purchase another vehicle right now, but you might have to, so figure out if you want to spend $55k on a new truck or $40 on an old one with almost 100k miles on it…I don’t know why that’s so hard for you to comprehend, everyone else is doing it…why are you so weird? Ok, now go do some social media posting, you’re going to miss the prime time that everyone is on their FB, IG, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, WordPress, snapchat, and email! Hurry, hurry, hurry….baby has a wet diaper and is hungry again, also you should probably make some dinner it’s 9pm.

Hahahaha…THIS IS MY BRAIN. No wonder I had a mini melt down this weekend! Can anyone relate to this madness? I know many of you out there can. I just finished listening to an incredible audio book this past week as I was driving to and from work, and it’s really helped me process through my intangible expectations I put on myself. I highly recommend listening to it, It’s called The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown. This book also helped me realize the importance of authenticity, especially in a leadership role. We are all in a struggle of some sort. Social media, unfortunately is a huge problem when it comes to us feeling insufficient. We see everyone else’s smiles, victories, six-packs, and seemingly “perfect” lives, but no one shares their struggles, hardships, doubts, etc.

I 100% believe I was put on this earth to help others. I LOVE to inspire, encourage, educate, motivate, and love on others to help them feel and see and realize how awesome they are and the greatness they can achieve. I’ve come to realize the most helpful thing I can do is to be real myself with my own struggles and the solutions I find or attempt to find for those struggles. Hence, this blogpost.

I have come to realize that I can’t continue at the mental pace I am going. In Brene’s studies, she found that the most successful, whole hearted people are those who rest & play the most. Yes, they work hard, but they MAKE TIME for rest and play…what a rare thing in our society, right? When we become adults we enter into this competition for who can be the most successful at late nights, early mornings, being sleep deprived, and beat ourselves up the most just to climb the ladder faster than everyone else. How many of you wish we still incorporated nap time and recess into our work days?? Am I right?! 🙂 Yesterday, when I was overwhelmed with every expectation I put on my shoulders…while I didn’t feel like doing it at first, I knew I had to do one of my 22 Minute Hard Corps workouts, and I am SO glad I did! Exercise is one of the most effective methods of stress management. It teaches your body during stressful times, for survival, that it’s crucial to burn fat and lean out (Stress eating creates the opposite subconscious response. Your body will learn to hold onto extra fat cells as a protective mechanism when eating sweets or junk food when stressed). This for me is a type of play. It makes me feel stronger, accomplished, and while I can’t control a lot of what happens in the world, I can control this area of my life and make good choices to eat healthy & exercise. Happy endorphins are ALWAYS a good thing, am I right? 🙂 It also helps to have a super cute 8 month old on the exercise mat clapping as I do my jump squats…haha.

Take home points…

  • Take time to rest & find what it is that restores your soul and is fun for you- schedule that in your calendar and make rest & play happen.
  • When you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders…it is ALWAYS a good time to exercise.
  • Be GRACIOUS to yourself, be KIND to yourself, LOVE yourself. We forget how awesome we are.
  • Enjoy the moment. Be present with your current struggle, current joy, current love. We get so wrapped up in worrying about the future or past that we miss the moment.
  • Be authentic. Be YOU.

I hope this was an encouragement for you in whatever stage of life you may be in now. Life can be brutal, but it can also be beautiful. Let us not forget to always look for the beauty. Have an amazing day!

P.S…if you’re looking for a playful, encouraging, inspiring group to join, we have a challenge group starting 8/29! Feel free to contact me for the details!- TheHealthPatriot@gmail.com

-The Health Patriot

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