Have I ever told you that no matter what brings clients to Dedham Acupuncture – back pain, headaches, hormonal issues – the reality is that 95% of us are struggling with anxiety, stress, or depression?
Who is that 5% who don’t?
They’re the ones who either live totally in denial or have effectively disassociated with the modern world, always have a smile on their face, and say that everything is fine.
Sometimes, I don’t know if I should press them more on their definition of “fine”, or go running out of the treatment room because they are having a psychotic break.
We share a lot of content with our clients, and you may wonder why our newsletters here at Dedham Acupuncture don’t actually talk about acupuncture.
We prefer to focus our writings on stress management because that is what is at the core of all of our woes.
I have a good friend, whom, for the sake of the story we will call Sandy. (She is probably reading this and I want to tell her that she doesn’t look like a Sandy, but it is the only name I could think of after only one cup of coffee).
Sandy has this theory, and it goes something like this:
“If it is not a hell yes, then it is a hell no.”
Did that give you pause? Because I know that when she told me this life philosophy, I felt like I had been waiting to hear this for most of my adult life.
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes over-empathize, enable, and endure. It is so bad that sometimes I have to repeat to myself, “Nobody loves a martyr…nobody loves a martyr”. I say it so much that I have forgotten what that mantra even means.
But the “hell, yes” vs “hell, no” speaks to me at my core.
“We should have an early Thanksgiving the weekend before the actual day, so we can all see each other.” said one in-law to me last month who dabbles on the dark side. What she really meant was, “Can you cook another dinner the weekend before Thanksgiving for my family, since I hate to cook and I know that you are already busy on the actual Thanksgiving Day?” Can I get a heck no? Whoot, whoot!
Instead of going along with that idea, I said to my good group of girlfriends – “Hey – let’s go to the opening of TopGolf and have some serious fun before we get enmeshed in the holiday shenanigans. I won’t get to see any of you until maybe January after we have done all of the tra-la-la-ing and even then maybe not since we will all be sick with colds, flu, or Covid by MLK day”. Can I get a heck, yes!?
I know that you think that life is simmering down now. September came and went and October is almost passed. All is quiet on the western front until maybe Thanksgiving.
So do what feeds your soul. Feel it in your body, is this commitment, thing, or idea a full body yes? Great! Or, is it a ehhhhhh, I’m not so sure – that’s a heck no!
This is your little reminder that energy vampires are lurking out there. Don’t over-expand your bandwidth the next few weeks during the calm before the storm, because if you do, you will be stressed out by the holidays.
Can I get a “Hell no!!”
See you soon,
Nicole
Make Space for Reflection
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