Today I wanted to talk about the cost of stress vs. the cost of self care. Get ready because I am climbing up on my soapbox and about to go off on a tangent. Buckle up!
stress has a price tag
It’s no secret that stress sucks. Nobody likes the feeling of a tight chest, a tired body and a scattered mind. But have you ever thought about what it’s truly costing you? Sometimes we get so caught up in life that we don’t realize how stressed we actually are – but there are some surefire ways to find out!
There’s a meditation teacher I follow named Emily Fletcher. She’s a badass woman who is extremely passionate about taking the time for self care and calming our nervous systems. Recently she put it so eloquently: stress makes us stupid, sick and slow – and none of us can afford to be stupid sick and slow. I mean… mic drop, am I right?
Stress hijacks your cognitive functions, clouding decision-making and problem-solving abilities (Where are my keys? Why did I come in this room again?) When stress activates your body’s fight-or-flight response, it diverts resources away from the prefrontal cortex (the brain’s rational thinking zone) making it harder to process information and make decisions.
Chronic stress also suppresses your immune system, making you more vulnerable to infections and diseases (f that!). It triggers inflammation and can exacerbate health conditions from the common cold to cancer, ultimately affecting your body’s ability to heal and maintain balance.
Finally, under stress, your body’s energy is used to handle perceived threats (whether it’s a bear chasing you or a scary news story), reducing efficiency in your day-to-day life and slowing down your physical responses. Over time, stress can lead to mental and physical fatigue, making even simple tasks feel like a big huge deal and therefore decreasing your overall productivity. (This is me currently)
So I have a question for you: what’s your health worth to you? Because stress is a sneaky little bugger that can rack up a huge tab in your life – and you better believe it’ll skip out and leave your nervous system with the bill.
wellness is worth it
On the flipside – I’m curious, what is wellness worth to you?
Let’s bring this home for a second: I’ve heard a few times through the grapevine that people who haven’t been to Vortex have the misconception that Vortex is “expensive” – even though these people have never even visited our studio or even the pricing page on our website, it still makes me crazy. Just because we have a gold logo and beautiful space doesn’t mean we’re too fancy or overpriced or expensive.
I’m going to put this in perspective: A TUNE session at Vortex recalibrates your nervous system and reduces stress by 54% in 15 minutes. Afterward you continue to relax in our lounge for as long as you like and have a complimentary wellness shot and a tea, you read a bit of a great book, have a conversation with an awesome human, and leave feeling lighter. This costs $30 and that self care experience turns into a relaxed body and mind.
Concurrently, a few Triple Venti Soy No-Foam Quadruple Shot Latte’s from Starbucks costs about the same … and that turns into poop.
Listen, I understand that a loaf of fresh bread is $900 now and we get taxed on everything from birth to death to driving our cars, but it shouldn’t be a “splurge” to take care of yourself.
Also, let’s be clear: Feeling good can be free! You don’t have to come to Vortex for your self care needs (but you should), you can meditate in your bedroom or go for a walk in nature, or watch a movie with your favourite beverage – self care looks different for everyone.
When you place the cost of the time and energy it takes to take care of yourself vs the cost of stress on your body and life, its an absolute no-brainer that self care wins.
After two years of seeing the immensely positive impact that self care can have on people’s days and lives, I consider myself an experienced self-care professional – so as I climb down from my soap-box I want to leave you with a few final questions.
How much “research” do you have to do before you actually try something that works?
How long to you have to feel $#!tty before you give yourself permission to feel good?
And What’s it going to take for you to realize that you are worth it?
In conclusion: stress is a solvable problem. Don’t be the reason it remains an issue in your life!
Come on in and see us before we peace out for 10 days of getting happily sunburnt. Otherwise, we’ll catch you in a couple weeks!
