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roles, I attempt to help people.
In all I do, I’m a teacher, cheering people on as they learn the
most important skills and lessons
that make life worth living. We’re
all worth loving, even on our worst
days, and I try to help people focus
on what’s most important so each
day gets a little better.
But what I forgot, as I tried to
serve others, is I need help, too.
Working 60 hours, often more,
each week, I used entire pizzas
rather than a walk to calm down.
I chose wine, in my fatigue and
frustration, over the very techniques I speak and write about.
The wine wasn’t the problem;
the problem is that I kept my stress
at such a high level all the time that
no amount of wine allowed me to
truly slow my brain down.
Then I stepped on the scale.
Why did I let myself stay so
stressed for so long? I forgot the
most important lesson about
stress. It is not a bad thing. It
comes from our brain when we’re
not seeing something important
we need to pay attention to.
What was I ignoring? The best
teachers and coaches are always
learning. I spent so much time
helping others that I forgot to
make time to explore new lessons
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and learn new skills. Every day
is a priceless moment to savor a
beautiful world. I wasn’t recharging my body and brain so that I’d
have enough energy to enjoy my
work and my life.
We each can reduce stress when
we figure out what our brains are
When at 38, my doctor
asked, ‘You’ve been in shape
before, right?’ and I couldn’t
remember when, it should
have been a clue.”
trying to tell us. We all have more
power than we realize to improve
our lives each moment.
Sixteen weeks after stepping on
the scale, I’m down 19 pounds. I’m
still screwing up most weeks, but
not as often. I’m still trying to do
too much without first recharging, but now I let stress teach me
when I need to step back.
Now I realize and I continue to
learn: Even the stressful
moments are precious.
Jon Wortmann is a mental coach
and author of Hijacked by Your
Brain: How to Free Yourself
When Stress Takes Over.