It's been said that we have a more difficult time of changing a behavior if it's something that's accepted socially. Stress is one example. Stress has become nearly a badge of honor. Think of all the conversations you've had lately. In several of them, were people simultaneously complaining and bragging about all the things on their to-do lists, all the things they'd done in a given day or week? Perhaps you do it yourself. I know I'm guilty of this at times, too.
As Cindy Jardine, professor of sociology at the University of Alberta, puts it, "It is seen as a socially desirable thing to be overworking. We don't seem to have the same respect for people who work a 40-hour week." Odd, isn't it?
Perhaps it's time to set our own standards of what's acceptable and not acceptable. Why not do all we can to reduce our stress, get sufficient sleep, find time for exercise, eat well and generally do what it takes to get healthy? Wouldn't life be better for us—even if being stressed out is not only socially acceptable but perhaps even admired? Even though it may prove more difficult, we can change behaviors that others may think acceptable. The choices are up to us.
It's time to follow our own beat, to be authentic and do what seems right to us.
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