Gabrielle Shaffer

What I￢ﾀﾙve Learned About Managing Stress From an Ordinarily Extraordinary Woman
If you￢ﾀﾙve read any of my other blogs before, you￢ﾀﾙve probably gathered by now that I think the expectations that are put on women today are in one word, ridiculous. As I￢ﾀﾙm running around all day like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to be super mom, run a company, keep my house clean, and then feel sexy for my husband once in a while, I often think to myself, ￢ﾀﾜWTF?￢ﾀﾝ And I￢ﾀﾙm very vocal about those feelings.
For me, the idea of doing all of this with a smile on my face and a flick of my hair is so foreign that when I see another woman holding it together so well, it is downright inspirational. I￢ﾀﾙm so lucky and blessed to say that one of those women is my best friend Lisa. She does not run marathons to raise money for cancer research, nor has she invented any life saving devices. But she is extraordinary nonetheless￢ﾀﾔan ordinarily extraordinary working mama.
Lisa at Work
Lisa has the most career success of all my girlfriends. In her time working for Nautica, a major fashion brand, she has worked her way up, receiving promotion after promotion, climbing the corporate ladder to become the senior designer of men￢ﾀﾙs and women￢ﾀﾙs furnishings. When most of us girls were still figuring out what exactly we wanted to do, she was traveling the world, checking on factories in Asia or shopping for inspiration in Europe. She has always worked long hours and you can rarely reach her by text or Facebook during the day (because, well, she￢ﾀﾙs actually working).
Probably most impressive is the way she has asserted herself in her career and has gotten everything she wanted because of it. When she wanted a raise, she asked for it. When she wanted a promotion, she marched into their offices and told them why she deserved it. When she had her first child, she told them she￢ﾀﾙd no longer be working long hours or traveling. And guess what? Because she￢ﾀﾙs a hard worker, good at what she does, and because she had the chutzpa to ask￢ﾀﾔshe got it all.
When asked how she does it: ￢ﾀﾜI listen to a series of mediations on my train commute every morning. Just last week there was a session on being fearless, finding your voice, and being heard. It spoke specifically about taking those steps in your life and career to attain the leadership roles you may think are out of reach. There was a time in my life where I never would have considered speaking to my supervisor about a promotion, but now it is that confidence that helps me advance my career. Take a risk today!￢ﾀﾝ 
Lisa at Home
My friends and I joke sometimes that Lisa might not be human, that she has the super power ability to do everything exactly as it￢ﾀﾙs supposed to be done. From the day her oldest daughter was born, she was breastfed, on a schedule, and sleeping through the night. At one, the bottle went away, sippy cup came in, and at two the big girl bed arrived. I￢ﾀﾙm watching this, as my 11 month old Lila wakes up every hour, and toddler Jack is sleeping in my bed and holding onto his bottle, going ￢ﾀﾜWHAT?!￢ﾀﾝ
Right now she is 9 months pregnant with a toddler at home. When I was in the same position, I wanted to cry every day. But guess what Lisa is doing? Commuting an hour each way to the city for work, posting pictures of homemade paper dolls she made from Pinterest, and rarely, if ever, complaining. If that￢ﾀﾙs not inspirational, I don￢ﾀﾙt know what is.
What Makes Lisa a Healthy Inspiration?
Her attitude! We now know that mental health and stress management are as essential to our physical health and well being as any disease management or exercise routine. Just take a look at these statistics:

43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
75-90% of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the workplace. Stress costs American industries more than $300 billion annually.
The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions.

One needs only to look at the number of mommy blogs that exist on the Internet to know that this modern mama gig is hard and stressful. We expose our vulnerabilities and connect with networks of other women because we need to know that we're not the only ones faltering under these expectations. But in all of the group texts and email threads that my girlfriends and I have going where we complain about our husbands, children, and jobs, Lisa continues to stays positive.
Good attitude, excellent health, a successful career, two kids, a new marriage, and a positive attitude. How does she manage it all?  I'll let her tell you herself.
￢ﾀﾜMy motto in life is ￢ﾀﾘlet it unfold.￢ﾀﾙ I believe that everything happens for a reason and trust that in the end it will all come together. God never gives us more than we can handle. To de-stress, I use my morning commute as a chance to meditate and perhaps most importantly, I pray. But here￢ﾀﾙs my trick. I never pray for myself, I pray for the people around me. By praying for the people in my life, my family, friends, my beautiful babies, it gives me a chance to take inventory of all of the good in my life, of all of the ways that I am blessed.￢ﾀﾝ
The Takeaway
We can all learn from, and be inspired by, the people around us who take on the roles we find challenging, and manage to do them with grace and positivity. Managing your stress may be the single most important healthy behavior you learn this year￢ﾀﾔI know it's one I need to work on. I'm so grateful to have Lisa in my life; inspiring me to accept life as it comes, take one day at a time, appreciate all of the good things, and have faith that in the end, it'll all be ok.
Know a Mom That Inspires You?
Tell us about her! Let us know what makes her so special and how she promotes a healthy lifestyle, and your story could be featured. Also up for grabs are some great prizes to pamper mom with, so go ahead: submit your inspirational story today.





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What are some of the admirable qualities your friends have? How have they inspired you? Tell us in the comment below.
Sources: WebMD | Photo Credit: Cheeky Chicago
http://blog.voomwell.com/blog/bid/384141/Monday-Motivation-Drawing-Inspiration-from-Friends