Literally.

#whatareyoutalkingabout

Admittedly, this is solely based on my own data which can be skewed however I want, but your Fitbit cannot lie, right?

May 15th my resting heart rate was 70 beats a minute.

June 5th my resting heart rate was 63 beats a minute.

July 10th my resting heart rate is at 61 beats a minute.

The last day of school for this school year was May 28th.

Tell me there’s not a correlation between the stress of teaching and my elevated heart rate. I dare you.

Tell me there’s not a correlation between the fact I sleep better in the summer vs. the school year.

My Fitbit is a enemy sometimes. It taunts me about me the steps I’m getting (“Only 76 steps to win the hour!”) but it does give me good data. Each year, at this time, my heart rate takes a huge drop. Yes, that’s due, in part to getting outside and being more active (pulling weeds requires brute strength), but it also has to do with the fact I can relax.

I’ve read 7 books so far this summer. Seven! This is usual for me, but still, I’ve taken the time to sit, not be on my phone, and read. We’ve been on vacation. We’ve working on our little piece of heaven, decluttering, recycling, burning, and so on.

Much of this data analysis comes as I had a deer tick bite last month. I went to the doctor, and he basically told me this: Lose 20 pounds, lower your blood pressure, or you are on meds.

#yikes

So as I look at my lifestyle, we’ve moved towards a higher protein, lower carb diet to start our summer. I eat lots of lean protein and veggies with some fruit sprinkled in because it’s blueberry/raspberry/peach/strawberry season. I’ll happily spend my carbs on those fruits.

But, I’m also looking at other ways to reduce stress in my life. Of course, I’m going to be teaching a new class at school, so that’s been on my mind. And school as a whole will be stressful for years to come because are in dire financial straits, so many things are being reshuffled.

#ugh

This has wandered a bit, so I’ll close by saying I know there are TONS of jobs out there where people are dealing with stress. Doctors, lawyers, military, farming, manufacture jobs, and the list can go on and on. Each of us are working through our own job related stresses and having to come up with how to get through the day. I hope that you are using that vacation time you have banked to actually go on vacation. I hope you are taking time for yourself and your family. But most of all, I hope you are doing what needs to be done to be as healthy as possible, if not for yourself, then for the people around you who love and cherish you.

Teaching is hard work, and I’m glad I have the chance, each summer, to reset myself because if I didn’t have this, I’m sure that heart rate would look worse and I’d be on those meds.

Thanks for reading, and if you have anything you do to relieve your stress, drop on a note in the comments!