Lighten Up
by Tanner Olson
writtentospeak.com

Question:
Hi Tanner! I really appreciate you being open with your recent struggles and trying to slow down like you tell everyone else to do. 

I often struggle with this and look at others and encourage them to slow down and take time for themselves but I struggle to do the same for myself. 

How do you implement the things you encourage others to do in your own life?

I recently found myself in the ER due to a stomach ulcer. 

You can read about that HERE.

At first, I didn’t know it was a stomach ulcer.

I typed in all my symptoms and the Internet told me I was either on my period or pregnant.

But the internet was wrong.

It was a stomach ulcer.

I’m no doctor, but one thing that can lead to a stomach ulcer is stress. 

Also, drinking too much coffee.

I happen to be stressed and addicted to coffee.

It’s been like this since the Pandemic.

Running your own business and being an independent writer can, like most jobs, be stressful.

There are unending uncertainties and unknowns and this can have a profound effect on an individual.

The truth is, I thought I was doing just fine.

Last year my wife taught me how to rest.

It was new to me.

I hated it at first, but now I am a huge fan.

Each week I have been taking a day and half off of work.

Sometimes two.

During this time I won’t respond to emails or ship out orders or make phone calls or do any other work things.

But as it turns out, resting does not always lead to a less stressful lifestyle.

I want to believe that stress is a symptom of faithfulness, but it isn’t.

For me, stress is a symptom of pride.

It is a symptom of not trusting God. 

Stress sneaks through the front door and gets me to believe I have to do it all and if I don’t do it all it won’t get done and I will become a nobody. 

It wraps its greasy little hands around my shoulders and pulls me down as I push back.

So, I am back to making changes.

And I am starting with one song that gets me.

It brings tears to my eyes and sends shivers up my arms.

It slows me down and invites me to inhale and exhale and repeat.

As I write this, this song is on repeat, drowning out the noise of the world around me.

Your Love Is Strong by Jon Foreman.

You can listen to it here.

This is the line that I’m learning to let play in my head more often:

“So why should I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need”

And it’s true.

He does.

He knows what I need and provides.

And again and again.

But somewhere throughout the day I forget.

I am great at forgetting the things I need to remember.

The beauty of the truth fades into the dark and I am left believing the world is on my shoulders.
I claw and scramble and spin the tires and over-think and move forward and slam another cup of coffee and add more items on my to-do list. 

And that’s one way to get an ulcer.

When something isn’t working that means it’s time for a change.

So, that’s what I am doing.

I’m paying attention to what I put into my body and how it affects me.

Things like coffee and media and food.

I’m prioritizing what needs to be prioritized.

I’m creating healthy boundaries and sticking with them.

I’m saying yes to slowing down and no to the things I cannot control.

I’m doing the hard work now so I can keep doing the good work.

I’m reminding myself of the things I have written to you.

Things like:

Give it time.

Slow down.

Hope doesn’t let the story end.

There is peace in letting go.

Open your hands and give what you have.

Quit comparing.

There is joy in this. Even in this.

Keep trusting.

Breathe and be.

Reach out to God (and reach out again and again).

Throughout this I am learning to talk to myself the way a friend would talk to me.

I am beginning to tell myself what I need to hear, not what I want to hear.

Maybe you’re in a similar place as me.

You know you need to make changes.

You know that the way things are not the way they should be.

If that’s you, maybe you need to hear this:

Talk to yourself like a friend.

Tell yourself what you need to hear.

Don’t be offended, because what you probably need to hear is lighten up.

Lighten up.

You don’t need to take with you all that you’re carrying.

Sort through the cracks and corners and drawers of your life.

Let go of what needs to be let go of.

Give away what needs to be given away.

Hold on to what needs to be held onto.

Stand in front of the mirror and look yourself in the eyes.

Give yourself a pep talk.

Remind yourself to slow down and breathe deep and that God is faithful.

Tell yourself that it’s okay to rest and make changes and start again.

Give yourself grace and give it again and remind yourself of who that grace comes from.

Learn to breathe again.

Learn to be again.

Learn to live again.

Lighten up.

With hope,

Tanner Olson
@writtentospeak

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About the Author

Tanner Olson is an author, poet, speaker, and podcaster living in Nashville, Tennessee.

He is the author of I’m All Over the Place, As You Go, Walk A Little Slower, and Continue: Poems and Prayers of Hope.

You can find Tanner Olson’s books on Amazon.

His podcast is The Walk A Little Slower Podcast with Tanner Olson and can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.

Tanner Olson travels around the country sharing poetry, telling stories, and delivering messages of hope.

You can follow Tanner Olson on Instagram (@writtentospeak) and Facebook where you’ll daily find encouraging words of faith and hope.