“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.” – Fred Rogers
Stress happens. No tow ways about it I’m afraid my friend. Unfortunately, stress comes to us all at some point. However, although these instances and bouts of stress and anxiety are not completely avoidable, they are very manageable. You should not be defined by how heavy your load is, but by the manner in which you carry it.
Sometimes these moments of madness and high emotion are easy to overcome, because you have felt that specific way before, or because it is temporary, or because there are others alongside you to help with the solution. On the other hand, there will be times when you don’t have the answers. There will be times when you have to tackle problems alone, and when you can’t see an end point. These are the times where you need to dig a little deeper and work out what it is that you need to tell yourself in order to get back on track. We cannot promise that these will work all the time, but we hope that you might be able to find clam and comfort in some of these stress alleviating thoughts and ideas…
1. Nothing Lasts Forever
Nothing lasts for eternity, probably not even the universe in which we live. So, whatever you are going through, know that an end will always come, even if it is not poking over the horizon just yet! think back to all those times when you have felt stressed, and how you managed to see them through to the other side in the end. In fact, with this in mind, it may help you to focus up and discover your solution more quickly.
2. Social Media Isn’t Reflective of Real Life
Even though we know that social media content does not accurately reflect the lives of the people posting it, we still manage to convince ourselves that we are not doing well enough within our own lives to match up to these people. Take a moment to remind yourself that social media offers a greatest hits, highly curated compilation of content. Nobody is posting about their bad moments, not really. So, don’t let it get in your head. Also, consider this… when you post online, what do you post? Have you thought about the fact that what you might be posting may also be depicting a life that is much shinier than the reality? Humans are not perfect, none of us are. so, let’s stop stressing about the fact that we aren’t!
3. Don’t Let Yesterday Ruin Today
We can often feel stressed or worried about things that have not only already come to pass, but that we have no ability to change. By agonising over these things, we can carry this stress over to moments and into tasks in which it is neither useful nor welcome. This can have a dangerous domino effect, letting negative emotions swamp every minute of your day. To live in the moment, and to enjoy the here and now, we must let go of those things that we cannot change. In fact, if we let go of those moments, and move on with the rest of our lives with positivity, we will me much more likely to be able to constructively deal with any consequences that those times of stress might have thrown up. Remember you stress, won your stress, but do not carry it around with you.
4. Stress Is Not Useful
Many years ago, when I was training at drama school, I found myself in the wings feeling cripplingly stressed about walking out on to the stage. It is a feeling I hated. I first thought, ‘well, I hate this feeling. I can’t go on like this.’ That thought then followed on to a question, ‘how is this stress helpful to me?’ The answer, of course, was that it wasn’t helpful at all. Ever since then, in times of worry, I have answered this question for myself, and the answer is always the same. It is no always easy to override stress, but sometimes all that is needed is a reminder that the emotion you are feeling will not help you to succeed. I have never quivered in a wing since!
By Chris Thomson
Want to find better ways to get out of your own head? Try this on for size… Overwhelmed by Thinking? Try This
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