Life can be a very stressful thing. Sometimes, it just seems as if it’s a series of stress waves with only minor respites in between. In times of stress, it can help to remind ourselves:
1. This too shall pass. You might be bogged down with a million things right now, but just as soon as they came, they will be over – a distant memory.
We can get wrapped up in our anxiety about the future without realizing that life is moving faster and faster with each day. Try to imagine what it will be like when this stressful time is way behind you, fading in the distance.
2. Put yourself in their shoes. Perhaps someone else is stressing you out. A boss, a coworker can be laying it on thick with demands that maybe you can’t completely meet right now, try as you might. Try to se things from their perspective.
There is most likely someone above them, putting the weight of the world squarely on their shoulders. They’re depending on you, not picking on you. See them always on your side, no matter how it may seem.
3. Look at the big picture. We can get mired in the mess all we want, but at the end of the day, we’re microscopic organisms, crawling on a rock that’s hurtling through space for no apparent reason. When we remember that simple fact, our stuff becomes a lot less daunting.
4. Fast forward to five years from now. Think of what your life may be like then. Will what you’re going through now really make that much of a difference? Most likely, it won’t.
Maybe it will work out, and maybe it won’t – but in five years’ time, you will have more than enough opportunities to make up for it.
5. You’re doing the best you can. Being stressed out is a good sign – it means that you give a shit. And if you give a shit, you’re probably working to the best of your ability right now.
That’s really all anyone asks for, and most of the time in life, that’s enough. If we do the best we can at all times, we learn. When we learn, we improve. Even if we are nowhere near as skilled at what we’re doing as we want to be, someday we will be if we keep at it.
6. You’ve already gotten through so much. Just think of all you’ve done already. No matter who you are, there have been hurdles in your life. You’ve won some, you’ve lost some, and you’ve survived.
You’ll survive this just the same. Try to give yourself some credit, because if you’re stressed, you’re probably not doing a whole lot of that right now.
7. Consider a scenery change. Take a walk, go on a weekend trip, do a guided visualization – whatever you can to get yourself out of the setting you’re in, at least mentally, will help you reset and think more clearly. Sometimes all we need is a psychological breath of fresh air to get back on track.
8. You’re right where you’re supposed to be. Being stressed out, though not the most preferable situation to be in, has its own excitement to it. It means things are happening in your life.
Things are moving and developing. There are opportunities at stake. Notice this for what it is – a pivotal moment on a path that has led you to exactly this spot.