Last week, I got the text message from my mom that her father, my grandfather, had been having chest pains and was in the hospital. The next day, Tuesday, I was off work, so went to the hospital in time to be in his room just as they brought him back from the surgery room. I found out Grandpa had just had 4 stents placed in 2 different arteries in his heart. 4 stents at 90 years old! Overnight, his life had changed. He told me later, the symptoms he had was “an elephant sitting on his chest with pain radiating down the left arm”. These are the typical male symptoms for a heart attack! I am so glad the Doctors were able to open his arteries with small little stents so the blood flow can continue!  Now, there are other changes and decisions that will need to be made so the blood flow can continue. Changes in what is eaten, activities performed and new medications.

There are times in our life when changes happen… sometimes big changes; sometimes small changes. We have changes in the home, at work, at school, at church. Some changes are out of our control, other times, we make choices that cause changes – whether for the better or worse. Maybe you are stuck in a rut and would like a change? Maybe you are no longer enjoying or benefiting from your job and need a different one? Perhaps your health has been slowly declining … unnoticed… and suddenly you realize you don’t feel as good as you used to.

How do you know when it is time to change jobs? Here are some tips:

• When your emotions control you instead of you being able to control your emotions (anger outbursts, crying at the small things, stuffing your emotions inside, etc)
• When you dread the thought of going to work
• When you are unable to represent the company with a positive attitude.
• When the amount of stress you are under at work causes the stress to increase at your home- whether with family or relationships outside of work
• When the communication at work is broken with false accusations
• When you work late every evening and have to grab fast food for dinner more than 4 times a month

How do you know when it is time to change what you are eating?

• When you sit down in front of the computer or TV and the entire bag of chips disappears in front of you (eating more than a portion size of any one food or snack)
• When you notice you do not have as much energy as you used to
• When life brings an unwanted or stressful change and you turn to food to “satisfy” the restless feelings inside you
• When your weight increases more than it should in a short amount of time

These points (and others you can fill in for your own situations) are red flags that indicate a change is necessary.

 

Here are some tips to get you through changes that are stressful or unwanted:

• Find a health coach or friend who is willing to support you in some {{GOOD}} changes and keep you accountable
• Speak the truth to yourself (no negative self talk)
• Tell yourself you are worth this good change
• Pray for guidance and direction
• Go for walks in the nature park or bike path
• Take a deep breath… often!
• Make a decision to change and stick to it. If you have a gut feeling that something is not right, listen to your inner feelings.
• Talk things out with someone who can be a middle person- someone who will give you honest answers and suggestions.
• Get 7-8 hours of sleep. Our brains cannot function properly and make rational decisions on too little sleep.

If you are struggling with life, emotions, health challenges or the decision about what changes to make in your eating habits, please know you are not alone. I am not perfect and have struggles and decisions to make too. While it may not be easy to trust someone you do not know; please give me a chance to walk beside you and give support where others may not. Send me an email at mannafoldblessings@gmail.com today! My ear is always open to listen!

Until next time,

Coach Shannon 🙂