In the hustle and bustle of adult life, it’s easy to forget the carefree joy of our childhoods. The responsibilities of work, family, and everyday stress can cloud our sense of self. At Solaris Whole Health, we believe that reconnecting with the things that brought you joy as a child is essential for achieving holistic well-being. By remembering who you were as a child and rediscovering your passions, you can find inner peace and a renewed sense of purpose.
Step 1: The Importance of Childhood Passions
Take a moment to reflect on your childhood. What did you love to do? Maybe you enjoyed skateboarding, exploring the woods, journaling, or drawing for hours on end. These activities were more than just fun—they were expressions of your true self. They brought feelings of adventure, creativity, and freedom.
Remembering these childhood activities can evoke powerful emotions. For example, if exploring the woods made you feel adventurous and free, returning to nature can help you reconnect with those feelings. These activities are not just hobbies; they are pathways to your core identity and sources of inner peace.
Brainstorm a list of these activites on a napkin, on your phone, anywhere, and remember the joy and freedom you once felt.
Step 2: Create a Playdate with yourself
As we grow older, the demands of life can make it hard to find time for ourselves. Jobs, family obligations, and social commitments often take precedence. We might even feel guilty about taking time for ourselves, thinking it’s selfish or unproductive. However, neglecting that part of ourselves that brings us joy can lead to increased stress, strained relationships, and a decline in both physical and mental health.
When we don’t prioritize our well-being, everything else in our lives can suffer.
Plan time during the upcoming week to do something you loved doing as a child; hide a yo-yo in your desk and bring out on the daily, or skateboard after work, sit outside and draw, sit by a stream, sign up for a tennis lesson, shoot some hoops. Anything your heart desires, or rather what the inner child in you desires.
Step 3: Just show up
We’ve all done it: we make a plan, set aside time, and then fail to follow through because our to-do list is overwhelming, something seemingly more important demands our attention, or we’re simply too exhausted.
We are the best at not keeping dates with ourselves in lieu of ‘getting more done’ or just vegging out.
The hardest part is showing up. I tell my clients – just show up. That’s it! When you’ve done that you’ve won. You can leave. REALLY, don’t sweat it. Leave. You can do that for the first 1-2 weeks and eventually you may stay and follow through.
For example, for the first couple weeks, with no expectations or judgment, just get changed into your workout clothes. Go to the park and stay parked. Get the skateboard or basketball out in the garage. That’s it- that’s all I want you to do.
Put on the yoga video and turn it right back off. You’re good! Just show up for your personal playdate at the time you promised. That’s your only goal. Let the rest take its course.
Falling off the Wagon
Don’t fret. You will, and there’s a reason why, and a system to get you back on track!
The Impact of Stress on Your Health: Facts
Stress affects a significant portion of the workforce. According to studies, 83% of U.S. workers suffer from work-related stress, with 25% saying their job is their number one stressor (The American Institute of Stress). Furthermore, 94% of workers report feeling stress at work, indicating that stress is a widespread issue across various industries (Cross River Therapy). This stress can manifest in various forms- from burnout, to physical and mental health issues.
Physically, chronic stress can manifest in a variety of symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension, chest pain, fatigue, and a weakened immune system, making you more susceptible to illnesses. Over time, these symptoms can worsen, leading to more serious health issues like hypertension, heart disease, and digestive problems.
In some surveys, nearly three in five employees reported negative impacts of work-related stress, leading to lack of interest, motivation, or energy at work (The American Institute of Stress).
Stress can also affect relationships with family, friends, or coworkers, with 73% of workers reporting that workplace stress impacts their personal relationships (Cross River Therapy).
Stress levels can increase as people age as well, due to various factors such as work, home responsibilities, and relationships. Studies suggest that stressors related to work, like job demands, deadlines, and work culture, can increase with age leading to burnout and reduced professional efficacy.
Other stressors include job insecurity, lack of support, and workload (The American Institute of Stress).
Home stress can also increase with age, often due to growing family responsibilities and home-work conflict. This is especially true in remote work settings where work-life boundaries can become blurred (MDPI).
Relationships can add to stress as individuals balance personal and professional commitments. As people age, they may also experience stress due to evolving family dynamics, caregiving responsibilities, or personal relationships (PLOS).
These factors can combine to create a cumulative stress effect, impacting physical and mental well-being. The pressures of modern life can cause chronic stress, affecting your mood, energy levels, and overall well-being. Understanding the sources of stress and adopting effective stress management strategies can help mitigate the negative impacts (World Health Organization (WHO)).
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
Reconnecting with your true self and taking the time to do so during the week will reduce stress, improve your relationships, enhance your job performance, and boost your overall health- ultimately helping you lead a more fulfilling and authentic life.
The Solaris Transformation Cycle: Pulls it All together
At Solaris Whole Health, our Transformation Programs are designed to help you find balance within the 4 Pillars of Health while addressing the 4 Pillars of Stress.
The 4 Pillars of Health
We need all 4 pillars of health to cultivate joy and the improved quality of life. They include:
Spirituality and Nature: Connecting with something larger than yourself; outside of yourself to find inner peace and connect with your purpose in life.
Career and Finance: Finding fulfillment and balance in your professional and financial life.
Physical Health: Maintaining a biochemically balanced and healthy body through the principles of functional medicine, nutrition, exercise, and self-care.
Relationships and Mental Health: Cultivating emotional well-being, and a healthy connection with yourself and those around you
The 4 Pillars of Stress: Understanding What Is Biochemically Out Of Balance
Understanding past history or epigenetics, as well as genetic history and how these have both played into your current state of being is essential. I break out these stressors into 4 categories:
Physical Stress:
Understanding past history and the root cause of your current sleep patterns, digestive issues, immune responses, allergies, infections, hormones, and your overall physical health.
Mental/Emotional Stress: Understanding your past history and current biochemical imbalances and habits that contribute to your emotional health and well being.
Chemical Stress:
Food is a chemical, as well as alcohol, recreational drugs, medication etc. Understanding the history and current consumptions and the biochemical effect on the body is key.
Environmental Stress:
Electronics, social media, computer time, mold, high tension wires, even a cluttered house can all contribute to how our environment can affect our quality of life.
Identifying imbalances in each category and creating a plan to minimize them is essential to improving one’s quality of life and joy.
Think of your life as a structure supported by the 4 Pillars of Health. If one pillar weakens or breaks, the entire structure becomes unstable, and the other pillars can’t fully support it.
The Transformation Cycle: The Interplay of Each Pillar
How we nourish our lives is directly related to how we choose to nourish our bodies.
Let’s say there is a ‘relationship gone bad’; throwing one of the 4 pillars of health (relationships) out of balance. We may choose to have ice cream or chocolate triggering the chemical pillar of stress.
We’ve all been there.
Perhaps there’s a deadline crunch impacting your career, and you choose to zone out at night with video games, online betting, the Hallmark Channel, or by having more wine or beer than you intended.
The interplay of lifes 4 Pillars of Health and The 4 Pillars of Stress is undeniable. The chronic nature of imbalance and compensation can create a vicious cycle where each exacerbates the other. This makes it increasingly difficult to manage stress and maintain a sense of balance.
The 4 Pillars of Stress—physical, mental/emotional, chemical, and environmental—are integral to maintaining the 4 Pillars of Health. By effectively managing these stressors you ensure that each health pillar remains strong and balanced, creating a solid foundation for a healthy, fulfilling life.
When you feel better (more energy, less heartburn, better sleep, less cravings etc) you can choose better when life’s stressors come your way.
3 Steps Recap: Practical Steps to Happiness
Reconnecting with your true self and taking the time to do so during the week is a great start to reduce stress, improve your relationships, enhance your job performance, and boost your overall health- ultimately helping you lead a more fulfilling and authentic life.
This is something you can start TODAY!
To recap:
Reflect on Your Childhood: Think about what you loved to do and how it made you feel.
Identify Activities: Choose activities that bring back those feelings of joy, freedom, and adventure.
Make Time for Yourself: Dedicate time each day or week to engage in these activities, even if it’s just for a short while.
Notice the Changes: Pay attention to how reconnecting with your inner child affects your stress levels and overall health.
How Solaris Whole Health Can Help
If you are able to start ‘The 3 steps to happiness’, however, are unable to maintain the process long term, please know this is not your fault. There may be a chronic pillar of health imbalance supported by a root cause stress imbalance (4 pillars of stress) that is the driving force. It has nothing to do with your motivation or willpower.
Our Solaris Transformation Programs offer personalized testing, programs, guidance and support to help you reconnect with your true self and integrate those insights into your daily life. By focusing on the 4 Pillars of Health and addressing the 4 Pillars of Stress, we aim to support your journey towards a balanced, healthy, and fulfilling life.
Have questions? Want to learn more about how you can improve the quality of your life?
Set up your FREE 30-minute consultation with me, Stephanie Solaris, by clicking here, and start your journey to reconnecting with yourself. Let’s work together to bring back the joy, adventure, and inner peace that you may have lost along the way.