I feel like I have been beating this drum for a while now; but when you have been through it you have to have little reminders. Stress, money, work, school, health and other everyday distractions build up and can make us reach our boiling point. These things affect us all; however, it is how we decide to confront these issues is what makes the difference.

I face these obstacles each day. I work multiple jobs and that takes its toll. Long hours, commuting, meeting deadlines and separating those things from family time is the true battle. Some people fold under the pressure, some people embrace the challenge and others do not have to worry about these issues.

A few months ago, I reached my low. I was overworked, overwhelmed and stretched very thin. I realized that things needed to change and I was the only one who could take the wheel and steer my life in a new direction. I have support of family and friends but sometimes we need to venture into the unfamiliar.

One thing I have learned is the best way to get comfortable, is getting uncomfortable. Over the last few years, I have been following an inspiration program called “DDP Yoga”. It is run by legendary pro wrestler Diamond Dallas Page. Page started DDP Yoga as an effort to help other wrestlers get back on their feet. He helped them get sober, helped them battle through injuries and helped them get back into their faith. Shortly after other athletes from different walks of life began to follow DDP Yoga and eventually it was open to the public. It was the number one downloaded yoga app of 2025. I downloaded it in November.

Each day it supplies me with positive messages. One of the most powerful ones goes as follows: “There is a bottle of water. The weight of the bottle is irrelevant; it does not change weight until you add water to it. Now if you hold that water out at arm’s length for 30 seconds no big deal. But if you hold it out for five minutes you will begin to feel the weight of it. And if you hold it out for 10 minutes straight, your arms begin to burn. That’s the same result when we hold in anxiety or stress. The longer we keep it in, the heavier it becomes.”

I take things one day at a time, but sometimes we need to take it one minute at a time. Because if we spend the whole day worrying about something, that’s a wasted day.

Dennis D. Cruz is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. He may be reached at drcruz@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.