Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.
– Marion C. Garretty
As you’re reading this, I’m probably sitting in the waiting-room with my sister, awaiting my mom’s second knee replacement surgery to be over.
We are prepared. We’ve been preparing since the first one she had done in April.
Here we are six months later. I’m sure we’ll perfect some of the uneven steps we took even more this time. It did get a bit hectic at times as we were familiarizing ourselves with the whole process and getting the schedules, chores, etc. synchronized.
We were also emotionally adjusting too.
After all, mom is our rock, our teacher, our organizer and we wanted to show her that all she has given and taught us has been worth her time and efforts. It’s called “appreciation” and “gratitude”, in this case to the infinity and back.
This surgery means a lot to all of us. It’s her gateway to a chronic pain free life after a very long time… a very very long time.
Her prioritizing skills flow effortlessly; her husband and children have always been on top of her list. It’s time, again, to turn the tables around with ease and smiles, just the way she does it.
So how am I going to manage the stress level for the next little while (my sister doesn’t need this tip as she is the calmest thing on the face of the earth!)? 😀
Easy! When lowering it gently and strategically, you establish a new habit and it gets easier from there. I’ve been working on it more consciously since this past May and the results are even showing in my blood test. At one point, my cortisol levels had risen up to the 800s! (A very dangerous level). Not again baby, never again!
I’ve turned most of my physical stress symptoms into “adventure” symptoms just with the power of my mind and understanding my thought process and its relations to stress. Both stress and adventure have the same symptoms: heart pounding, fast breathing, sweaty palms, tense muscles, etc. I’ve mentioned this already in a previous blog before.
All you have to do is change the meaning of your symptoms. It also helps to use these few state-changing tricks: Take three deep breaths, go for a quick walk, watch a funny video for only 2 minutes, imagine the outcome of your of your calm actions as opposed to the stressful ones, etc.
Recently watched this on TED talks and it strung a huge cord with me. Kelly McGonigal explains it beautifully. Hopefully it will have the same impact on you as it had on me:
http://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend.html
Add yet another “friend” to your list and give it a new name. 😀
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