What’s Your Pebble?
Have you ever had a pebble in your shoe? That tiny little stone that somehow finds its way into to your shoe and causes discomfort, maybe even pain. What do you do? Some people stop, take their shoe off and try and get the stone out right away no matter where they are or what they are doing…relief is the highest priority of the moment. Then there are those who might be in a place or situation where they can’t take their shoe off…so they wiggle their foot and try and move the pebble to a spot in order to try and minimize the discomfort of the stone. Some folks try and ignore it all together and pretend that it isn’t there, kind of a mind over matter approach. I confess, depending on where I am and what I’m doing, I use all of the above techniques when I have a stone in my shoe…but what about the little stones of life? What pebbles are making you feel uncomfortable or causing you stress or strife? What are you doing about those pebbles?
We all have pebbles in our shoes…things that concern us and my cause an elevated level of anxiety or stress…work, bills, relationships, etc. the list could go on and on. The question is how do we approach these pebble of life to deal with them? Do you choose to ignore them and hope that the pebble will fall out of your shoe like it fell into your shoe or do you take a more proactive approach and confront the pebble in your shoe in order to relieve the discomfort? I can’t answer this question for you any more than you could answer the question for me. The discussion I heard this past weekend about pebbles put me in an introspective frame of mind about what my pebbles are and inspired me to write on this topic today.
Self-efficacy is the ability to believe in one’s self and the ability to accomplish something…I believe I can go out and run a mile and thus I go out and run a mile. I believe I can achieve better health through eating healthier, I start eating better and achieve better health. It’s the ability to believe in yourself and accomplish the things you believe in and for most people it’s easier said than done. Developing a positive mental outlook and being able to face the challenges of life take practice and time to develop. Like physical exercise to strengthen our bodies, we all need to practice positive mental health habits to strengthen our self-efficacy and our ability to face the daily grind. There have been loads of supportive evidence that clearly state that a person who has a sense of emotional, psychological and social well-being are healthier people. People who fall into this category have lower reported cases of having chronic illness and have an overall higher level quality of health.
We all have setbacks in our daily life, it’s how we deal with it that can cause us more or less stress. If you are feeling overwhelmed with life or feel you need help but just aren’t sure how to receive help…you just need someone to show you how to get the pebbles of life out of your shoe…there are people who can help. If you are wanting to reach out and shore up your support network or find a professional to talk to there are organizations and resources (online, local community centers, churches and even hospitals) to help you connect with the people who can help. Sometimes we all need a little help getting a pebble out of our shoe, don’t be afraid to ask for help…remember, we’re all in this together. Have a good week everyone.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com