This one is sneaky…

It always used to make me laugh when a new client was filling out my massage intake form and they would get to the checkbox for stress. Most of the time, there would be a little incredulous laugh, like “uh yeah I have stress…doesn’t everyone?”

Stress can feel like a given…a common bond of sorts. And there can be a lot of different reasons to feel stressed. But there is one biggie that isn’t super obvious. It’s sneaky, but it’s also within our control (unlike some sources of stress).

That is what I want to talk about today.

Can you think of a time in your life where everything felt really hard? Like you were pushing a boulder up the hill. Or feeling a heavy weight on your chest. During this time, you may have also felt like your work or life was filled with burdens or obstacles that had to be overcome. Maybe it even made you feel stuck and totally uninspired, like SOMETHING IS MISSING.

That missing something is likely your VALUES!

We each have certain qualities of life that are the most important to us. Things we stand for, and try to incorporate in our lives as much as possible. Your values could be something like freedom, growth, kindness, Integrity, adventure, or being in nature, as just a few examples.

These are the things that make you feel totally alive and grateful for your life.

When our values are not getting honored, we feel STRESSED!!!!

If you value connection, and your work schedule is not giving you the time you need to connect with loved ones, you may start to feel torn between needing to work and letting your family down. STRESS!!

If you love being in nature but keep giving away all your time to other people’s needs and therefore you aren’t getting out there, you will start to feel like you have no time to do the things you want to do. STRESS!!

If you value growth, and you are in a dead end job or you haven’t learned anything new in awhile, it will make you feel stuck and uninspired, and the work you have to do will feel so heavy. STRESS!!

Knowing what your values are and finding a way for them to have a seat at the table in everything that you do will reduce your stress and greatly improve your quality of life.

Because when you live your values you feel light, in the flow, and almost effortless. Like you GET to do the things that light you up rather than HAVING to do things that feel like pushing up that boulder.

So of course I wanna know….what are your values and how well are you honoring them?