How many celebrity doctor shows, blogs, and social media posts have you encountered that tell you to ‘reduce stress?’ It’s the worst advice out there. It’s like telling a 3 year old to go to sleep, right after devouring birthday cake by saying, ‘just close your eyes.’

Is there benefit to less stress? Absolutely. But with the clientele I take care of, it’s not going to happen. I’m constantly amazing and in awe of the people that sit with me after hearing their story. These people are achieving, dreaming, and purposeful living to levels I hope and aspire to some day.

When you’re a high achiever like they are, there is going to be a sacrifice. For the majority, it’s their personal health. For years and decades, they are doing what 99.8% of people aren’t willing to do to fulfill their mission and purpose.

And that is stressful.

But that’s what got them to where they are in life. I have ZERO business telling them to ‘reduce stress.’ Mostly because these people are some of the most kind and generous people I know. To tell them to stop doing what they are doing would be a detriment to a lot of people in this community. They are not the stereotypical jerks the media portrays in movies or Netflix series. These people are doing good work that benefit a lot of good people. Let’s support these people’s ability to do more.

Instead we talk about building a bigger bucket. If all the stress (the hard work and dedication that got them to where they are in life) is like a water faucet dumping water into a bucket and their illness represents the bucket overflowing, it’s rare to find anyone willing (or have it reasonable) to just turn the water off. Could they retire, yes. But they love what they do, why would they want to retire?

What these individuals are ultimately asking me to do is help them build a bigger bucket. The awesome thing they realize is that because they admit they were not over night successes in their mission and purpose, that this process to build a bigger bucket is also not an overnight process. It will take time. But the reality is that we need some quick wins as the long term strategies start building momentum.

With that said, here are some immediate action steps to clean up the spilled water until we know all the details and plan of action to build a bigger bucket.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT):

In simple terms, stress creates an internal environment that inhibits the exchange of oxygen, thus decreasing your ability to produce energy, regulate inflammation, and continue at the pace you desire. When inside a hyperbaric environment, greater levels of oxygen are able to reach deep into the tissues of the body.  Don’t worry about losing time in your day, bring your work in with you for 60 minutes of uninterrupted time. You may even notice you get more done due to the oxygen rich environment in your brain.

Eat More Protein:

You have to eat, just eat more, and eat more intentionally. In fact, I would say shoot for a minimum of 90 grams per day. When a high achiever is living fast and furious, they burn through fuel (carbs and fats) quickly. To fill the gap, the body will break down (your tissues and organs, i.e. protein), to be used as fuel, taking away from recovery and repair. Many times those protein rich building blocks were intended for neurotransmitters and hormones like dopamine, norepinephrine, thyroid, and skin. While you’re increasing protein, ditch the wheat too.

Multi-Task Hobbies:

I LOVE sports but I rarely watch them unless on nationally syndicated TV. And it’s been a number of years since consistently participating. Instead I listen to the Herd while I shower, drive, or am doing honey-do chores. I’m also an avid Audible (audio book) listener. Again, I do those while doing other things that take little concentration. This is a way to relax my mind while not totally checking out from tasks and duties that need to be completed. Feel free to multi-task it with the HBOT.

Be Thankful…in EVERYTHING:

You might be suffering in health but there is still so much to be grateful for in your life. You can’t be worried and thankful at the same time. The more you concentrate on gratitude, the less worry can creep in.

Be thankful for the roof that protects you from this Colorado hail.

Be thankful for the parking space that just opened up at the front of the grocery store.

Be thankful that the guy in front of you at the traffic light is slow to the gas pedal when it turns green. Had he gone as quick as you would have liked, you would have been T-boned by the car that just blew through their red light.

Be thankful that despite what mistakes you have made in your life, there are people that love and support you.

Homeopathic Help

In this circumstance, I’m referencing the homeopathic HGH gel that I experimented with previously and currently have cycled back on due this being an energy intensive season. From that experiment, I had some clients want to try it. Yes, people would report back that they are recovering better or feeling better. This is cool to hear but the one thing that was reported back that no one would lie or exaggerate about is that they were sleeping better. Score.

If you’re over 35 years old and considering elective hormone replacement therapy, I would look into this first. Hormones like estrogen and testosterone are the ultimate down stream disruption. They are the tire tracks at the scene of a car accident. If you want to address issues further upstream and more towards the source (the brain’s communication to the body), growth hormone may be a better strategy.