A Little More Playfulness

We stress way too much. 

About money. 

Work. 

Kids. 

Love.

Things. 

Politics. 

We focus in on them, obsessed with the meanings inside the stories, and think that this is life.  We think that if we can just control and reorganize the details, we can get what we want and then be peaceful. 

We attach ourselves to identities, past experiences and made up norms and find ourselves swimming inside a fish tank that was never meant to hold us. 

Stress lives in us…in our minds and our bodies.  Poisoning both.

I should know.  

Stress has taken hold of me way too many times. 

STRESSED ABOUT MONEY? 

In 2009, I quit my corporate job to become a full-time writer. 

I was 30 years old, just a few years into my corporate career, and had $30k in the bank.  

I had just finished writing a self-published book that was a roadmap to finding true love, a product of a year-long introspective journey. 

I was determined and passionate.  

And a little bit green about business.  😉 

Of course I could replace my $5k/month salary within just 90 days!

It took me two months and $50 in book sales to realize that this game of entrepreneurship was a lot more robust than I had anticipated. 

In a stressed-out panic and a savings account that was already diminishing, I joined forces with my then-boyfriend-now-husband in his new company.  It actually had a well thought out business model that was bringing in regular revenue, so of course we were closer to “money safety” than I was on my own, right? 

I put my writing dreams on the virtual shelf and dove head first into the world of entrepreneurship. 

The next three years are what I lovingly refer to as our “peanut butter and jelly years,” as in, we didn’t have the money to eat much else. ????

While there are so many beautiful experiences and stories that happened during this time (remind me to tell you how we would go to the Florida Keys with $100 budget, and how we manifested our dream wedding on the beach ????), what permeates this entire season is the money stress I constantly carried. 

I was always looking at the “runway.”  How much more cash did we have until we didn’t have anymore.  

I specifically remember a moment when my bank account had enough cash to pay the mortgage for one more month.  And no new revenue was on the horizon.  

Stress ate me up. 

(Me in the Florida Keys in 2011…surrounded by beauty in an attempt to calm down the constant weight of stress.)

THE ULTIMATE STRESS RELIEF

There’s nothing like death that will bring perspective to life. 

I lost a good friend of mine recently.  

And as I’ve come out of the haze of initial shock, there’s a new energy that is coursing through me.  

A vibration that is changing how I see the world and interact with everything in it. 

It’s as though years of accumulated stress dissolved from me and instead I’m swimming in a sea of playfulness. 

For example, yesterday I got all glammed up to go shoot a video.  You see, I’ve been chosen as a finalist for a pretty prestigious award for business women in my area and yesterday, we were each shooting a reel that will play as our names are called to the stage at the award gala.  

Usually, I would have a little party of thoughts in my head as I drove to the shoot.  

Am I going to get there on time?

I hope they like me. 

Do I look okay?

What does my schedule look like? Will this finish on time to go to my next meeting and then pick up kids?

What am I going to say on camera? I hope I do okay!

Who are these people? I need to make a good impression. 

But yesterday, as all these thoughts began their usual symphony, I just chuckled to myself.  

It’s just a big game, Katie.  Have fun playing. 

The thoughts quieted and I just enjoyed the whole damn thing.  

THE ART OF PLAYFULNESS

How can you infuse your day with a little more playfulness today?   

How can you detox yourself from the stress that can so easily rule your life? (Check out our Free 3 Day Stress & Anxiety Detox here!)

Perhaps it starts with not taking life so seriously.  ????

Here are a few practical things you can try: 

• F*ck your schedule. This morning, I decided to let my girls sleep in.  I’m in a writing groove and don’t want to interrupt it.  They are exhausted and sleeping peacefully.  I don’t want to rush.  I want us to take our time and enjoy the morning. Is it really going to matter if they’re late for school?  Nope.  What peace might you find in bucking the norm today?

• Connect with someone you love. Like, really connect.  Maybe it’s someone you haven’t talked to in awhile. Maybe it’s someone you chat with everyday.  Either way, connect with them in a meaningful way that reminds you just how special your connection is.  Who can you reach out to?

• Move your body.  Run around the yard or jump on the trampoline with your kids. Swing at your local playground. Dance in your car to your favorite music.  The movement shakes off the stress and invites you to play in the present moment.  What does it feel like to move your body so freely?

Life can seem so heavy sometimes, I know.  And it’s so easy to swim in the ocean of stress.  Especially when you look around and see so many others swimming too.  It looks normal.  Like life is supposed to be like this.  

But it’s not.  

Try a little more playfulness today.  And see how your relationship with stress changes. 

(Smoochie kiss pose as my girls played salon with my hair at the restaurant. ????)

Namaste, Beautiful. 

????Katie

???? I love you.

Namaste, Beautiful…????

Katie Krimitsos
Creator of the Women’s Meditation Network
katie@womensmeditationnetwork.com