When under stress or in a threatening situation, we will tend to revert back to our lowest form of habit. When the mind perceives a threat, we may unconsciously reach for cake, graze on potato chips, binge drink, or even do something much worse. Just fill in your worst habit that you continue to repeat in order to cope or avoid feelings. It all depends on the situation, the person, and numerous other factors, but the point is that this typically happens without your conscious mind being involved. You took the action without completely thinking it through consciously.
If you thought the action through, then you probably wouldn’t do it, knowing that it is destructive to the body, right?
Thinking it through would look something like this: “If I go out and have 5-8 drinks tonight, I will wake up tomorrow feeling like crap, looking bloated, having gained a few lbs, feeling lethargic and less productive for the rest of the week.”
Does that sound like a success plan?
Well, this is happening with a large percentage of the population. Many people are living in a constant state of stress and are programed by this fear to take action that is not in their best interest.
In this example I use alcohol because it is a common “stress reliever.”
How many people do you know are stressed out and say, “I am going to journal, pray, meditate, go for a run, eat a healthy meal, and get a great night’s sleep, and everything will be cool in the morning?”
You typically hear, “I am stressed out; I need a drink,” which creates a habit that can be destructive in the end. Alcohol helps us forget and stuff emotions deep down inside, whereas journaling, meditating, and exercising allow us to process the information and work through it in a healthy way.
After drinking to relax, the problem is still there. In fact, the situation will probably worsen because alcohol raises blood pressure and increases anxiety the next day, which makes the problem and the stress level even greater. So, the options are to create a habit of drinking to relax, or to find another healthy habit to deal with stress that promotes growth and greater understanding so that you can steer your life in the direction of your dreams, whether it is something as simple as becoming more lean, toned and attractive, or having more love, happiness and freedom in your life.
The higher our level of consciousness, the better we can create our future to match the life we envision, the life of our dreams.
