I Didn’t Think I Was Stressed Heart Lessons 20 Years Later #HeartLessons #StressAwareness

I Didn’t Think I Was Stressed | Heart Lessons 20 Years Later If you had asked me 20 years ago whether I was stressed, I would have said no. I was capable. Responsible. Productive. Resilient. I was raising kids, working in radio, trying to build a business, paying bills, carrying responsibilities, and keeping a calm exterior. I didn’t think of that as stress. I thought of it as life. Looking back now, as a therapist, author, and someone who has spent years helping others navigate life transitions, I can see what I couldn’t see then. My body was trying to get my attention long before I listened. This July Heart Lessons video is about denial, stress, awareness, discipline, listening to your body, and recognizing the weight you may have gotten used to carrying. Denial is not weakness. Sometimes it is protection. But eventually, reality asks for our attention. In this conversation, I talk about my heart failure journey, the stress I didn’t recognize, the symptoms we often ignore, the role of journaling and self-awareness, and how these lessons continue to shape my work through Licensed2BBadass, therapy, writing, music, HeartMath, and The Courtyard at the Radio and Records Café. Download Heart Lessons FREE: https://mailchi.mp/kellyorchard/heart... Join me in The Courtyard on Substack: https://kellyorchard.substack.com Visit my website: https://kellyorchard.com Schedule a free 30-minute consultation: https://calendly.com/kellyorchard/bad... CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:18 I Didn’t Think I Was Stressed 00:48 Lessons in Listening 02:03 Ignoring the Body’s Cues 03:15 Radio, Responsibility, and Survival Mode 05:10 Stress, Denial, and Blind Spots 06:45 Awareness as Information 07:44 Symptoms We Don’t Always Recognize 08:38 Decide, Determine, and Discipline 10:19 Listening in The Courtyard 12:05 Editing, Trust, and Creative Discipline 13:40 Stress, the Brain, and Emotional Regulation 15:20 The Badass Soundtrack and Heart-Brain Coherence 17:10 Pay Attention to the Weight You’re Carrying 18:30 Download Heart Lessons and Next Steps #HeartLessons #StressAwareness #ListenToYourBody #Licensed2BBadass #KellyOrchard What have you gotten so used to carrying that you’ve stopped noticing the weight of it? Download Heart Lessons FREE here: https://mailchi.mp/kellyorchard/heart... You can also join me in The Courtyard on Substack, where I share more about writing, creativity, resilience, radio, travel, and the stories that shape our lives. https://kellyorchard.substack.com