Relax . . . . we’re all crazy . . . . it’s not a competition
~~ an inspirational moment on Facebook
We’re all crazy sometimes. Stress does that to you. In my fantasy reality show, Dancing With The Stress, I lovingly call it “being on the crazy train.” Genetically speaking, and with a lifetime of stress-inducing choices and experiences under my belt, it’s not surprising that when I’m stressed my reaction to things can veer towards the “dramatic”.
The crazy train is your body’s way of talking back to you about the load you’re piling on it. First, you have the heady mix of expectations you heap on yourself. (You know what I mean.) That’s the engine that drives the train. I know that it’s not that you want to be Superwoman. But you care and want to share the goodness that’s come your way.
Then add in the physical stressors of being in too many places at once, with too many competing demands. It can be too much for our body and brain. They need to make us crazy to get us to pay attention! Or at least make us crazy enough that our loved ones will stage a stress intervention.
Being on the crazy train gets in the way of all the fun stuff of life
I’ve been on and off the crazy train since I started travelling a lot for work in my early ‘30s. Of course, I didn’t recognize it as the crazy train. I thought it was a normal response to working 70 hours a week. Honestly, self-care in those days meant grabbing some fast-food instead of starving.
I like to think the crazy train has seven stops. Why seven? Don’t know. I just like that you’ve got four stops to get off before you’re well on your way to crazy town.
The crafty thing about the crazy train is that you’re not sure you’re on it until you’re nearing the end of the line. It took me until I was way cray-cray (as my daughter says) for the penny to drop – something about convulsing in sobs to a friend because I didn’t have cookies to bring to a party.
Making all seven stops to crazy town for me means melting down at the slightest thing. It’s being sensitive to sound. It’s being really in tune with the voice of fear in my head. It’s taking a small thing – and I mean small – and projecting out how it can singlehandedly destroy my life.
Oh, and don’t think it’s only women who ride the crazy train. I heard a story about a senior manager – a male – who was working such insane hours for so long that he developed a very strong territorial attachment to his office copier and sent threatening emails to co-workers if they were thinking about using it. That’s way cray-cray.
Staying off the crazy train means recognizing when you’re on the crazy train
My reality check that I’m too far along on the crazy train is that look in a girlfriend’s eye when I’m telling her about the latest complication in my life. That look where she’s questioning my sanity and slowly backing away – in a loving, kindly way of course.
As I’ve gotten attuned to the signs at each of the stops of the crazy train I can ring the bell and exit the train faster. When I sense the symptoms – anxiety, restlessness, worry – I know they have more to do with my stress levels than they do with reality. Mindful practices have helped to raise my awareness and then I can get into action with sleep, diet and exercise. I call them the four pillars of stress resiliency – I’ve written about them here.
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