Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have…
Sometimes we all get too wrapped up in our wants, out goals, the things we dream of that we forget all that good stuff that already is right there in front of us.
I am sharing this quote today because it reminded me of the time I was so wrapped up in my career and my next project that I neglected my relationships with my close ones including myself. I also loved what I did and loved the fact that I was working from home, dreaming big and hustling along while making really great stuff – making my clients happy and making pretty good money along the way. My 20s were amazing! I had what’s trendy before it got trendy ;) But I paid a price for this!
Sometimes I keep asking what went wrong and why did my health spiral down – but it pretty much goes back to how I pushed myself too far with a career – yes, stress played a huge part in my life and I still blame it on my health disaster. Let’s just say I’ve learned many lessons – one of them that green smoothies boost your health, another one how stress can almost kill you.
It’s a trap. Be careful out there with putting too much on your plate. Even if it seems ‘healthy’ and happy – be mindful of your energy level, of your anxiety, maybe depression, insomnia… or even things like skipping meals because you’re too busy… Even things like having too much coffee and dark chocolate can create negative effects on your health. Usually the path to screwing up your body and mind has no warning signs. It’s only later when it’s nearly too late that we realize we need help….
So as you push yourself this week to make more money to have things you want – just be mindful if your body and mind are in the same place. From my own experience, I just know what a stressful career-driven lifestyle can potentially lead to.
Now my approach is completely different. I catch those warning signs before they even have an affect on my body. I think it’s partly due to the food I’m eating that nourish my body and keep my nervous system under check and also how I look for nutrients in my meals and avoid blood sugar spikes and crashes.
I find that when we’re stressed – we also simultaneously neglect our diets – do you find this to be true also?
Aside from food, I am more mindful of the things I already have – my family, a modest little home, and health. And I pay extra attention to how beautiful the birds chirping outside are and how joyful I feel when I hear my daughters playing well together and I try to focus on the positive rather then dwell on the negative things in my life. I also have an more realistic approach to work and my to-do list and don’t beat myself up about things that I didn’t fit into my day… these are just a few examples but I’ve basically relearned to live ;) That said, I’m not perfect and I’m a huge work in progress… but I also accept myself the way I am – it’s the first step towards a better life – accepting yourself for who you are and taking baby steps towards a better version of you.
I have so much to share on overcoming stress, anxiety, insomnia and depression – basically these 4 had a huge toll on my health unravelling – I just don’t know if this something that would interest my readers. Let me know in the comments if you find my story helpful :)
Have you been brushed with stress and see it affect your health? Share your story so we can inspire one another :)
Take care out there my friends. Wishing you a great week! xo ella
Blogger, Recipe Developer, Photographer and Author. Loves healthy food, photography, sunshine and dancing in the kitchen with her two daughters. 
This story helps me immensely. I was extremely stressed with the death of my mom, my son falling ill, my spouse traveling all the time and burning the midnight oil last year that I landed in the hospital with an emergency procedure. I’ve changed a lot in my life to help move into a better space but often feel that I lived a life of stress for so long, I don’t know how to do ‘unstressed’ very well. Thank you for sharing your story and serving as a reminder that we are all a,work in progress.
Thank you Kim for sharing a bit of your story…. that is so much to handle and I am so sorry you had to go through this rough time… that’s one of the reasons I wanted to share about the stress in my life – my illness didn’t just one day appear out of nowhere – I hope that people can see how important it is to catch themselves before it goes too far. Some of the first things I did (before changing my diet) was accepting the present situation, learning to do less and getting proper nurturing sleep :)
I hope you’re going much better now :)
Take care of yourself – your son needs a healthy mama :)
*hugs*
♥ ella
Ella, I would LOVE to hear your story, if it’s something you’re okay with sharing! x
Thank you Ebony for reading and connecting :)
I share quite a bit of my story here : https://pureella.com/about-ella/
There’s a lot behind the scenes that I didn’t want to get into – trying to keep a positive space here (it is a food blog ;))
I hope you’ll find some inspiration through my experience, let me know if you have any more questions and if I can help further :)
♥ ella
I would love to hear more about your story as well! I am currently battling some bad health issues at 21 and could use any advice possible. I am adopting a plant based diet to aid in my recovery.
Isn’t it such a shame that some of us have to fall ill before we realise what stress and other factors are doing to us. I pushed and pushed myself to be the best I could at work,keeping the house and garden spotless, to be the best I could as a mum working a full day at school on 2hrs a night broken sleep and whilst trying to get my son diagnosed with autism, and eating rubbish whenever I could. After 5 years of this I developed ME/CFS and struggled to hold a pen to write my name, lift a cup to have a drink, couldn’t walk without a stick or used a wheelchair and resulted in 12 months off work. I followed professionals advise and a followed a ‘pacing’ programme which enabled me to return to work for 2 days a week working 5 hours a day and then I managed to eat some tea, which my husband cooked and then off to bed at 7 pm and my days off were spent either recovering or resting ready for work. This was my life for a further 4 years but I was able to up my work to 3 days a week. It wasn’t until last summer that I feel I finally started to live again. I went for allergy testing at my local natural health store and found out that I was allergic to dairy products, sugar, mould, vinegar, citrus fruits – basically everything that I was eating up until that point was making me ill. I changed my diet and literally within 2 weeks I saw huge improvements in my health as all of my pain related to my ME/CFS disappeared, the last bit of brain fog that I had disappeared, the tinnitus in my ears went and my glands went down and my throat was no longer sore. I have not looked back and soon notice adverse affects if something slips through the net accidentally. I still have to pace myself but my recovery time from an event is now only a evening of complete rest, sometimes maybe a day whereas before it would be a week. I have also found that my whole viewpoint has changed and after having my life ‘frozen in time’ so to speak I appreciate everything now, all the little moments, all the mundane things and I now think about what I do and how I react to things or situations and consider is this really what I want to be doing, is this worth my energy or not and I am now, naturally, living in a more mindful way. I can now see very clearly the effects stress, whether it be physical, emotional, from lack of sleep, poor diet or any other form of stress we put on ourselves, has on my body. A few years ago I thought a normal life for me was over but now I am more happy and content than I think I have ever been, I am now working 4 days a week and very slowly adding yoga and Pilates into my day (the yoga and pilates I am finding very hard as I have not been able to do any exercise at all for 5 years and lost most of my muscle strength and have no stamina at all but I know if I go slowly and steady I will improve)If you are going through a hard time at the moment please keep strong, seek help, make changes and I hope you will see improvements like I have x
Helen,
Thank you so much for your words…. so much of your story resonates with me. I connect on everything you basically mentioned… :)
It’s interesting to find that a poor diet, poor sleep, stress, add to this perfectionism – which I assume goes along with anxiety, etc…. can really build up these ailments.
It’s scary yet really fascinating…. if only people who started to fall off the wagon and neglected their diet and sleep and stress could catch themselves before it’s too late.
I know it took me years to ruin my health…. but I didn’t see it.
I also understand your weakness… I am also trying to work out and increase muscle strength. I usually workout next to my bed in case I got weak. Or if I’m at they gym I try to hold onto a ladder or a machine when I do weights.
I hope that little tip will help you get stronger over time :)
I wish you all the best. Hugs to you and your son. You are a wonderful mama :)
Thank you for sharing your story with me.
Be well, xo ella