I believe stress is my enemy
Stress: a well-known word to all of us living in the real world. Work-related stress, family stress, parenting stress, so much to overwhelm us and it seems that aren’t enough things to relax us.
Lately I can say that all I know is stress. When I go to bed at night, I can’t fall asleep and in the morning, I don’t want to wake up and face the day. I know I sound pretty ungrateful, I have a wonderful family, an understanding husband and my children are my blessings, but feeling that I might fail them, adds to my stress. I’ve never been a perfectionist but I like things to be a certain way, I’d like myself to react to situations more wisely and when that doesn’t happen, I stress over that, too! And you might ask me: “what does a 20-something year old girl have to complain about?” , and the answer is I’m not complaining, but I’m terrified with the uncertainty of life itself. I feel that if I let some things run their course, I’ll lose control of everything.
But I realize that worrying about being worried isn’t doing me any good; it’s slowly making me into a grumpy person, one I don’t want to be. So, I try to take one step at a time, take deep breaths and sometimes even close my eyes and just let things go. At certain moments, I like to pretend something isn’t happening and that it would actually go away if I do that. Apparently, “pretending” stops being cute once you’re out of preschool, and so I say to myself: “get a grip” and “get a back bone” just so I can keep moving on. I believe God won’t give me more than I can take. And with that in mind, I put a smile on my face along with some make-up and just live one day at a time.
I believe stress is a part of everyone’s life. We know all the “bad” things it can do to you: from health problems to behavioral changes and a sense of inability to take control over yourself. But learning how to deal with it makes you a stronger, focused, more centered person in general. We shouldn’t, however, underestimate the power it can have over our lives, it can really take a toll on someone. So, if a great amount of stress is present in your life, don’t take it lightly, seek either professional help or do things that will help ease the burden, such as “venting” to someone, going on vacation or simply spoil yourself with things that you wouldn’t normally do (like taking a day off and doing something fun, or nothing, if you choose to!).
I’m learning how to live with stress, not fight it, I’m also learning how to “work” better under pressure and how to see little wonders in small things, such as my children’s laughter. If I can manage my own fears and accept my weaknesses, I believe I can master living with stress. And that’s what I’m going for.