How to Reduce Stress and Focus More on What Truly Matters

Have you ever wished you could just take a job and run away from everything?

This past summer I had the opportunity to do just that.

I was completing a 24-year career in the Air Force and was saving two months of vacation time. So my wife and I decided to visit Rio de Janeiro and stay ashore.

The hot weather was everything you would expect it to be: sunny, warm, and beautiful.

But surprisingly, the rest period gave me so much more.

Being away from the daily routine of work made me think deeply. As a result, I had an unexpected understanding of my job and my health. The lessons I have learned are:

Ambition can make you sad.

If you are on the fast track, you always have this stressful, bloating problem that you have to do or you will be left behind, you can take your place at this table with plenty of material. Worse yet, you start to worry that others will lift your elbow and grab your assignment.

Indeed, our competitive society is full of this kind of attitude. And it is easy to be drawn into it yourself.

I'm not saying that prominence is bad - especially if it is followed for good reasons, like taking care of yourself and improving your health.

But the negative side of desire is that it can accumulate by pressure. Do you remember that stomach ache I was talking about?

I’ve learned that only when you take a break from digestion can you see the impact of your desire on your mood.

Only then can you find out what motivates you and determine if it is really important or not.

Personally, I found that “climbing the ladder” to the organization was no longer important to me.

What has emerged as the most important thing is to use my strength and experience to train leaders, help them solve their problems, and make their marks.

You can be more stressed than you think.

After sleeping for about two weeks and waking up to the sound of waves and hot birds, I realized that the knot in my stomach was gone. Plus, I didn’t realize how big the knot was.

A nice chunk of the stress knot was there because of my own performance.

For many of us, this point of pressure is the price we pay for trying to make a living and improve. The price includes the bonds you carry. Maybe in time your health and well-being will begin to slip.

The next thing you know is that you've been crushed.

But what you do is up to you.

At this point, I learned that I had a choice: I could go back to grinding or use the power I had gained in my service to others in a balanced way.

I will give you one guess I have chosen.

You really do not need much to be healthy.

While in Rio, my wife and I rented a small one-bedroom apartment. All of our household goods were packed and stored, so our luggage was the equivalent of a few suitcases.

And that was a lot. In fact, it was more than enough.

Living this degraded lifestyle has removed much of the burden of having material possessions to worry about. I talk about things like a house, two cars, furniture, bicycles, golf clubs, lawn mowers, washers and dryers, and all the other things we buy to make our lives easier.

A major reduction in employment allowed me to experience the rhythm of a simple life.

And it wasn't boring at all.

On the contrary, with the chaos, noise, and possessions no longer present, I had time to realize the little things that make life rich and enjoyable.

Like the cool sea breeze or small monkeys jumping from branch to branch in the trees outside our window.

Like many connections with family, friends, and passersby.

Living a little life removes the clutter of our modern lives and allows us to adjust to our true identity.

Lesson Lesson: Taking Time to Show Can Change Your Life

Extra time off work can improve your health. It really does mine.

However, my circumstances were different. For too many people, it is a challenge to get out of work to stretch for a long time.

So what can you do to incorporate that into your life?

If you can't take extra time off, you can take a short break. These breaks can come in all shapes and sizes such as:

Meditation

Turns off the TV

Setting aside your smartphone

Publishing

Walking

Performing a run

Going on a weekend

Use these small breaks to gradually get an idea of ​​what really matters.

Even this slight fragmentation from the process will bring understanding and understanding. Over time, they will grow into tools you can use to transform your life.

Plan your short (or large) breaks now.

And you have gone to a simpler, less stressful, and more satisfying life.