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I had the most stressful vacation ever last week because I had to go car shopping each day. I’m not a huge fan of haggling with used car salesmen so one might think that this promptly ruined my vacation but strangely enough just the the opposite happened.

I resolved to visit at least one dealership each afternoon. Beginning in the morning I could sense the dread building in the pit of my stomach. I would eat breakfast, maybe do a little reading, but I knew what was coming. Dutifully, I’d get all dressed up, hop in the car, and with a beating heart drive to the dealership. The drive was definitely the worse part. If you’ve done any public speaking you know that you’re most nervous right before you go on stage and this was no different. I’d pull into the parking lot and the 2-3 hour process would begin. My nervousness gone I’d haggle like a Turkish rug salesmen. We could rarely agree on a price so after awhile I’d shake their hands and walk back to my car. Then waves of relief would sweep over me. I had done it. I didn’t let fear hold me back. It was an exhilarating feeling. I would go home and put my feet up so to speak. Hanging with my family, reading, sipping coffee, just enjoying life. The stress made those times oh so sweet.

Some people spend their lives trying to avoid stress. I think this is a mistake. Stress means we’re stretching and growing as people. To increase your muscle size and strength you have to literally stress your muscles. To run a 5k you have to stress your heart and lungs. Our bodies are designed to respond to stress. The key is to balance the stress of life with plenty of time to recover.

Maybe the key to a great vacation isn’t to keep it ’stress free’.

Photo Credit: BrittneyBush