March 8, 2023
My Throat and My Belly
By: N.L. Skjonsby
My main stresses in life are self-imposed. I don’t spend much time worrying about things I can’t control but I hold myself accountable on things that I should control. I call my stress background radiation. It’s like hearing a white noise and carrying a 10-15 lb. weight on my shoulders. In other words, it’s exhausting.
I believe it is something we all deal with and the levels at which we stress are not necessarily proportionate to the items that stress us out. For instance, I stress about being late, late too anything. I would rather be 30 minutes early for something I don’t want to be at, than be 3 minutes late. Many people I am around do not seem to have this problem at all. My wife fears or loathes confrontation and I hardly give it a thought. I believe in being direct and if this causes an issue I will either apologize or think the other person is overreacting. Either way, it is over. If I think about something and pretend or go over in my head how someone will respond, that is much more stressful for me than walking up and telling them exactly what I think.
If I am stressed and cannot find a way to fix it, I either shut down, exercise, or turn to alcohol. I find that shutting down has much worse effect on those around me than drinking does. I don’t drink to the point of getting drunk but a couple of drinks allows me to relax and maybe even forget what was non-stop turning in my head prior.
If I experience a long-term issue, I have found that nature helps. I can go fishing or hiking and come back in a much better place. I think there is a primal instinct or ritual with me and nature that sooths my soul.
— N. L. Skjonsby
My Throat and My Belly
By: N.L. Skjonsby
My main stresses in life are self-imposed. I don’t spend much time worrying about things I can’t control but I hold myself accountable on things that I should control. I call my stress background radiation. It’s like hearing a white noise and carrying a 10-15 lb. weight on my shoulders. In other words, it’s exhausting.
I believe it is something we all deal with and the levels at which we stress are not necessarily proportionate to the items that stress us out. For instance, I stress about being late, late too anything. I would rather be 30 minutes early for something I don’t want to be at, than be 3 minutes late. Many people I am around do not seem to have this problem at all. My wife fears or loathes confrontation and I hardly give it a thought. I believe in being direct and if this causes an issue I will either apologize or think the other person is overreacting. Either way, it is over. If I think about something and pretend or go over in my head how someone will respond, that is much more stressful for me than walking up and telling them exactly what I think.
If I am stressed and cannot find a way to fix it, I either shut down, exercise, or turn to alcohol. I find that shutting down has much worse effect on those around me than drinking does. I don’t drink to the point of getting drunk but a couple of drinks allows me to relax and maybe even forget what was non-stop turning in my head prior.
If I experience a long-term issue, I have found that nature helps. I can go fishing or hiking and come back in a much better place. I think there is a primal instinct or ritual with me and nature that sooths my soul.
— N. L. Skjonsby
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