Something in life that we all face at some point. Stress. Some of us can manage it in healthy ways. Others, not so much. When stressed people can turn to shopping, eating, drinking, drugs and a number of unhealthy choices. I tend to tailspin a lot when I’m stressed, but I want to learn to manage it a lot better than I do. So, today I’m going to share my plan on how to deal with the upcoming stresses and maybe it will give you some ideas as well.
Understanding my stress
The first thing I need to work on is understanding that there are things completely out of my control. I can’t control the prices and costs of anything. People will make decisions that are beyond my control. I cannot stress about those things. What I can do is understand what is in my control and work with that. Easier said than done? Probably, but life isn’t going to always be easy.
Accepting
I need to accept that there are things that are beyond my control. Stressing about it will not change that. Acceptance can look like many things. I can release the stress over things I can’t control. Working on things I can control, and making better decisions, is also a healthy way of accepting things.
Yoga
Now for some hands on steps. Yoga is a great way to relax, slow down, and take time to release all the tension in your body. Now, when I say yoga, I don’t mean the spiritual meditative side of yoga. I don’t believe in a third eye or any of that stuff. What I mean is the workout form of yoga. For me, when I take the time to stretch, slow down, and just breathe, I can release a lot of stress. This is something I should do more of, but I make excuses while stressed. Time for that to change.
Trust God
There is a verse in the Bible that says, “Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares for you.” Yet another says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul.” God didn’t make me to live a life stressed about every little detail. He wants me to trust him with everything. He is in control of my entire life, and anything that surprises me, doesn’t surprise him. So, I plan to bring a lot of my stress to him, and leave them with him. Instead of stressing, praying. I have noticed that this, as well as listening to worship music, has helped me in the past to get out of a stressed head space.
Letting others help
Lastly, I want to work on humbling myself and accepting help from other people when they want to help. I want to listen to advice from people wiser than me. If someone wants to help out by buying me something, or lending me money, let them. Except loan sharks. Nope, not going there. I have so many people in my life who want to help me out. I need to start letting them. Not in a way that is taking advantage of them, but with a grateful heart and a desire to pay it forward one day.
Stress free goal
Now it’s time to put these things into motion. I can’t just write a nice blog saying, here is how I want to deal with stress, and not do anything about it. That would be a bit hypocritical. I plan to work on myself a lot in the next few months. I’ve been so stressed out lately, all with things I can’t control, and it’s showing. I’m grumpy at work, complaining to my friends all the time. It’s not healthy. The time to change is now. I will learn to manage my stress in a healthy way. What about you? How are you doing? What strategies do you look to when stressed? I would love to hear them. Together, let’s work towards less stress and more living. Anything can happen if we try.
