It all begins and ends in your mind. What you give power to has power over you, if you allow it.
Stress is the worst. It consumes you and makes you wish you were still a child. I know I still wish I was a child and could run around outside and go to bed and sleep away any worries. Nope, I’m twenty-three (almost twenty-four!!) and I deal with stress all the time now. College was a big bucket of stress – finals, midterms, homework, group projects, and so much more, I honestly thought it was going to go away once that crisp degree was in my hand. Clearly, I was wrong. An adult has the stress of the entire world on them. That might seem like an exaggeration but life is stressful as you get older and take on more responsibilities. I really didn’t appreciate the low-key stress that was in my life and why would I? Who wants to say that they enjoyed being stressed during high school and college but they enjoyed it more because it wasn’t as important/serious? No one. Stress is stress at the end of the day.
Why do we stress out? Why do we let ourselves feel like we’re being overtaken by waves in an ocean? It’s consuming. Stress consumes our minds, the pressure drags us to a point where we can’t grasp how to balance everything. It’s not fun. The toll it can take on our bodies, there’s no real positive when it comes to stress. In the end, it negatively impacts us and tears us down.
What are the signs of stress? Not being able to concentrate, constant worrying, anxious behavior – there is so much that goes into stress. The guilt, forgetfulness, and poor judgment are just a few more signs that pop up when we are stressed. As people, we have this notion to take on the world and yes, the world is your oyster but you don’t have to eat it all at once. It confuses me to see people rushing everything and stacking on so much when I know it might not end good in the end. There’s no joy in life when you’re constantly on edge. How can you be happy when you’re being so consumed?
There’s so much to stress out over. I’m twenty-three, I don’t want to settle when it comes to anything in life so I overanalyze it all to make sure that I’m not settling. I work full-time, have student loans, car payment, rent +utilities and a social life. I try to throw in a work-out whenever I can. Honestly, I feel like I have no time ever. I’m sure there’s so much more to add in as I get older but right now, it feels like the weight of MY world is all on my shoulders and one wrong move could make it toppled down.
Stress affects people in so many ways. Our bodies react in different ways and let us know when it’s in distress. Unfortunately for me, I am currently being attacked by hives that pop up anytime I feel stress or upset about something. Usually, they involve work and the fact that I want everything to be perfect and just look great. It’s not big deal really when other people think about it but when you see the hives, you understand. The hives I’ve been getting start off looking like a mosquito bite and then decide to get as big as a half dollar. It honestly didn’t bother me at first until they went away. Why? They leave bruising and it looks like someone punched me. I know I can control them though, it all depends on me and how I deal with my stress at the end of the day.
Being overwhelmed and wanting to be as useful as one can be, it all comes down to my decisions. These hives are here and will stay for as long as I let stress consume me. It’s at a point where I have to think if these feelings are really worth it? No, not at all. A easy 1, 2, 3 and breathe could be the simple solution. I think that’s the realization that one has to come to. We can control how we feel and how busy we’re going to feel – we can walk away from many things and manage things in different ways. As I think and think about this, I realize I have to consider the solutions.
Time Management
- If I managed my time better, I am pretty sure life would be so much more easier. If I didn’t pile on so much throughout my days and try to do it all without planning it out, I would be good. I’m a spontaneous and random people, I like to do things on a whim but responsibilities can’t be done on a whim and I’m learning that now. Make lists that are going to be easy to follow.
Exercise
- I already workout but it’s a barely there type of workout. I manage to get to the gym ONCE a week but if I could get there three plus times a week, my life and health might just be better off. I think the most important thing to remember is that exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy. A simple thirty minute workout or job and you could eliminate the stress of the day away. I know people that do title boxing and I can only imagine the amount of stress to eliminate from one’s life.
The reliever
- You need to find an escape, a place where you can journal away on the issues that are going on. Whether it’s opening up to a friend or colleague or writing down the problems, putting them on paper helps you analyze the issue and knock it out of your life. I’m a talker and I let things out to the people closest to me. I might try the journaling but for now, talking works really well.
Be grateful
- There’s nothing better than realizing all the positives of your life. That’s one way to destress. As a person when we realize the good things that are happening to us, it helps us realize that the bad things going on aren’t as bad as we think. I’m going to keep a log or note of the things that I’m grateful for daily and I think it’s a great move for other people as well. The things we’re usually grateful about are happy things. Enjoy the little things in life!
Can’t control everything
- This is the hardest thing to really realize – we can’t control everything and that is okay. If something goes wrong, we work on fixing it and not blaming ourselves. Myself, I have to take this initiative and let go of the reigns some time. Having all the control makes sense to me but it’s obviously a stressful factor.
Break free
- Do something fun! Make it a goal to break away from your responsibilities and have fun – laugh, smile, hang out with friends, anything that will take your mind off all the things going on in life. For the past two weeks, I have been doing this and it’s nice. It’s nice to be able to chill with friends and not talk about what’s going on in my life and just focusing on the now.
At the end of the day, you can control your stress. I can control my stress. It could be a challenge but you can beat it. I hope the best for everyone when it comes to their journey through stress. I’ll be working on the stress in my life and I hope the same for every one else. What are some tips you have for controlling stress? How do you beat it?
Be gentle with yourself, you’re doing the best you can.
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