I live a pretty low stress life. Aside from the incessant cold of winter in this part of the world, I have little in my day that causes me discomfort. I work at home from the comfort of my exercise ball in the living room. I have the freedom to set my own schedule. I sleep in most days and get less exercise than I probably should, especially when it’s cold outside.

We treat stress as some disease to be avoided – in fact, I’ve heard that many health professionals believe stress is the cause of most disease – but stress comes in many varieties. The defining factor is quality. A hike in the woods, a cleansing fast, a swim in the ocean waves – these activities are stressful on the body, but stressful in a way that causes all the physical processes to respond by improving!

Problems arise when we stress our systems trying to do things that aren’t beneficial to us – sitting in uncomfortable offices, doing work we don’t enjoy or find stimulating, eating foods that tax the digestive system. When I find myself overwhelmed by stress in my life, I like to make a list of all the things that are really stressing me out and try to identify which of the activities are things that I want to improve on, things that are important for me to work at and are generally beneficial for me long-term.  Often times, the things that are bothersome for me are things to which I’m devoting too much time and effort, either being a perfectionist or sending my energies somewhere they are not being fully appreciated.

You shouldn’t be wasting precious time and energy on things that don’t forward your goals! If your daily commute makes you pull out your hair, it’s time to move (or get a new job, or go into business for yourself); if you are in a relationship that breeds fear, anger, resentment and other negative emotions, take the stress off and seek counseling if it is a relationship worth saving; if your “friends” are people who’s presence you merely tolerate, it’s time to find yourself a new community!

So what kind of behavior fosters a happy, healthy stressed body? The Primal Living movement falls right in line with these ideas of stress management. With a focus on eliminating dietary stresses to make the brain and body function as it is designed, and encouraging a natural, wide range of movement, the primal lifestyle asks us to live as our bodies evolved to, with lots of sunlight, long walks, clean water and hunter-gatherer style food choices.

Blogs like Mark’s Daily Apple have taken up the task of delivering the “grok revolution” to the masses, advocating the elimination of grain-based and processed foods and a better understanding of healthy, whole, local food. If you do all your shopping at the grocery store, there is a whole world of food you’re missing! For me, keeping my stress low means knowing where my food comes from, being certain that it is as close to it’s natural state in the earth as it can be. I drink raw milk and eat organic, pastured meat. I eat organic, locally grown fruits and vegetables and grow as much of my own as I can. Since my diet has changed, I’ve not only noticed a significant reduction in my day-to-day stress levels, but my PMS has decreased significantly!

So then, the question is, where do you want to be focusing all that stress? Do you want to learn another language? Increase your fitness level? Learn to swing dance, sing ballads, write poetry, cook Indian, blow glass even! Or focus on more professional skills – resume writing, report and presentation creation, web design, blogging and web marketing, graphic design. If you really want to get primal, “stress” yourself out by learning the skills you need to be sustainable!  Grow a big vegetable and herb garden, keep some chickens for eggs, knit mittens, mix homemade body products, brew your own wine and beer, make your scraps into broth and compost, learn to keep bees for your very own honey! None of these things are easy – they require hard work, dedication, routine – but these are the types of stresses that reward us far beyond the pains of practice. This is stress worth wanting!