hey, banana pudding.

every week, my acupuncturist asks me about my stress level

and every time it feels like kind of a pointless question, my answer always some version of: lots to be stressed about, feeling okay though

since none of the things contributing to that stress have changed, it seems kind of silly (read, honestly: annoying) to have to answer every time

last sesh though, i reported my stress level as high. not because it had been an especially tough week (it hadn’t)

but because my boundaries had been challenged, repeatedly, on many different fronts, and that is STRESSFUL —

shifting calendars to make room for unplanned-for YESes

calling on stores of strength + spirit so as not to buckle on NOs met more with persistence than acceptance

letting some folks down by giving nothing, others by giving less than what they wanted

this kind of stress calls for some give that requires some take —

flexibility in one space made possible by unyieldingness in another

being a gotdamn weeble

when i tell you it took all my practices, the ability to be in that discomfort without getting overwhelmed by it…

forreal.

and i’ve got to say, it helps knowing there are others in the inner sanctum practicing such things too — it’s a priceless benefit of membership that i also experience as the leader + spaceholder

and i can’t be alone in feeling like everyone wants a piece a me lately, or that maintaining the boundaries i’ve so carefully created has been challenging as hell

if you’re in that boat with me, consider joining me in the sanctum, too

it might be just the kind of space + support you didn’t even know you could be looking for

wondering what stress talk has to do with joygenjune? part of claiming joy like it’s your job is solving for what gets in the way —

learning how to claim it even within real constraints like time, money, bandwidth + navigating conflicts between other people’s needs + your own

it can feel practically impossible to access joy when you’re stressed the eff out, so we take a three-pronged approach to living a lower-stress life

lessen stress on the regular to maintain a lower-stress lifestyle
learn how to navigate the stress that comes without ending up awash in it
lean into our stress-lowering practices so we reach easeful equilibrium more quickly

📣 what about you — what does the calm core of peace + ease in your body, mind + heart feel like to you?

📣 what helps you get there more quickly + fully?

dancing, meditating, singing in the car + snapping pics of beautiful things i see around me are some of my faves

writing, laughing, loud deep exhales + breathing in something fresh all help, too

i bake these things into my days to create that low stress set point + go hard on them when that threshold has been passed

can’t wait to hear what works for you, bloom

xxoo, cc

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