Free Your Mind: Live Life Free of Stress, Headaches, Worry

They are a staple of our American way of life: work, money, things, and bills. Most of us go around every day stressed out about how we are going to pay our bills, where our money will come from, how we can afford this or that, the list could go on and on. We struggle to find work, to hold down a job, or to make ends meet. Some of us do not even have enough money to eat, especially in these trying economic times.

I am what some may call a semi- free spirit. I live my life day by day, buy what I can, and do without a lot. I say that I am semi-free because I feel stress just like you. At the same time, I also know that there are aspects of my life that are much different than the majority of society, like how I refuse to worry about my money (for the most part), whether or not the bills get paid, or whether I have as much as my neighbor. My husband, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He lets his job and his money stress him out so bad that he comes home angry all the time, yells at me and the kids, and even has health problems because of his stress.

I learned a long time ago that there will never be a perfect world. No matter how much money I make, it will never be enough. There is always something else that I need to buy, or feel that I need. I will always be pressured to provide my kids with the latest fashions, a pile of gifts under the Christmas tree, amazing birthday parties, etc. Once I came to a full realization that there is nothing I can do beyond what I am doing, a little part of my spirit was suddenly lifted above the burdens of life.

My advice to you, take some time to ponder this fact in your own life. Once you come to this realization for yourself, you can free a little part of your spirit as well!

I take a much different approach to life in another profound way. I refuse to take a job that removes me from my family or my kids. Let me tell you, I hold a Masters degree in Psychology, a Masters degree in College Teaching, and a Bachellor's in Psychology. I could go out there and take a full time professorship at some college somewhere. Why do I refuse to do so? Because I feel that my kids are more important than money. You see, my views are very different than those of other people, because for me, money is an object. Once it is gone, it is gone. I can always get more from somewhere, even if it is by picking up and recycling pop cans. But my kids, on the other hand, they are my legacy. They are the future. They are the ones who will care for me when I am old and gray. What I do today, the actions I choose, those will either haunt me and the generations to come, or they can be a blessing. It is my choice, it is my time, it is my obligation to do right by my kids so that they in turn will want to do right by me and by their own kids.

My spirit is very free in this way, you see, because I refuse to be shackled to a career that removes me from them. I do work as an associate instructor of Psychology, and I anticipate that in the near future I will be teaching college online. I do Native American beadwork as a hobby and then sell it through various venues, I write articles for the web, I create SEO articles, and these are all things that I enjoy. I am not forced to put my children into daycare because I make my schedule in such a way that I can be available to them. I am able to be a mother and make an income at the same time. My spirit is free because I view life in a way that frees me, you see. I see that life is about living, not about money.

My advice to you is to examine your priorities in your life. Are you children and your spouse being neglected because of your work hours? Do you find yourself so exhausted once you come home that you might as well not even be there at all? Do you live your life based on your work, and have no time or energy to give to your family, or even, to yourself? Perhaps you may wish to examine your priorities, make your priorities right for you, not what is right for society. You will find your spirit feels a little better once you make these adjustments.

And now the next reason why I feel free... I recognize stress for what it is... stress. Anytime I feel stress, anger, worry, oppression, I know it is because something is wrong. Something is not setting right with me and my spirit. And when I feel stress, I question myself, why do I feel this stress? Let me give you an example... When I was completing my final Masters thesis, I got on a strict deadline/timeline. The deadline loomed closer and closer until I got into gridlock. I had to pull an all-nighter to get the final draft done, turned in, and approved by the deadline, or I would not have graduated! Now that certainly caused stress, that is for sure! And when I felt that stress, I stopped and asked myself, "Amy, why do you feel stress?" I realized that my stress was by my choice, my direct choice. I chose to postpone this work, you see. I chose to wait till the last minute. And, since it was my choice, why was I so stressed? With that realization, somehow, the situation didn;t seem so bad after all. I just looked at the situation in a different light.

I could write a whole book about stress, maybe even two or three, and still never cover all of the reasons for stress or how to conquer them. I can tell you this, and I think that this applies to the vast majority of stressful situations: stress is caused by our own choices, for the most part. You have bills. True? You don't have the money to pay them. True? But was it your choice that those bills accrued to begin with? Of course it was! It is your choice to have cell phones, cable television, car insurance with a certain company, health care coverage, the list could go on for miles. Is electricity an absolute necessity for life? For most of us, it isn't, it is more of a luxury if you are honest with yourself. So you see, you made the choice to have electricity, nobody forced you into it. You choose how much electricity you use, don't you? So why would you want to stress over the electric bill when you chose it?

My advice to you, anytime you feel stress, no matter the situation, no matter the reason, stop a minute and examine it. Why do you feel that stress? What caused the stress? Was it by your choices? If so, why let your own choices stress you out? If it was not by your choices, is it something you can do anything about? And if not, why bother worrying about it?

Finally, my spirit is free because I am happy in my work. Certainly, I do make money doing what I do, but at the same time, I am happy to do it. Perhaps this is an artsy way of looking at life and work, but you know, it is so liberating. Of course, I could make more money doing something else, but at what expense? My health? My marriage? My lifestyle? My relationship with family and the kids? Would that money be worth it? Of course not!

The way I see my work is this way.. even if I were never paid a dime of cash for what I do, I have already been paid because of the good feelings I feel while doing what I do. It is relaxing, it is enjoyable for me, and my work pleases others and helps others too. Those attributes can never be given a price, they are priceless! So you see, when I please myself and please others, I have already been paid. Getting money for doing what I love is the icing on the cake!

I work because I choose it, not because I have to. And the type of work I choose is a work that pleases me, therefore it is virtually void of stress.

My advice to you, look at your work. Do you dread going to work every day? Do you feel stressed out at work, for whatever reason? I ask you to carefully consider these choices, and did you choose this work because they were the only ones hiring in the area, or because you actually like the work? If you are in the work by force rather than by choice, then perhaps for the time being you could try to find something pleasant about it. Even if you are collecting trash, being a ditch digger, or cleaning toilets, if you think about it you can find something that is positive in your work. Think of the service you are providing to others, for example, or the way you are protecting the health and safety of the general public, something like that. You may be surprised to find that a job that you otherwise hate turns into something that is bearable, and maybe even pleasant!

In closing, I want to encourage all of your to free yourselves, free your spirits, free your minds... and no, I don;t mean by using 'shrooms or wacky tobaccie. I mean by changing your view of life and your choices. And I am nowhere near as free as I want to be. One day, maybe I will reach that point (death?). In the mean time, I hope to encourage you to do what is best for you, live life for the sake of living, and for goodness sake, do NOT let money control you!!!

More articles to come!