CreoleNatural
Jul 17, 20223 min
Here’s the thing about life, it’s unpredictable. ”Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you’re gonna get,” Forest Gump played by actor Tom Hanks echoed that line in the famous 1994 film. For lack of a better word, this translates to “shit happens.” No matter how much planning you do or how careful you are to avoid certain outcomes, life will find ways to surprise you and throw you a curve ball.
We live in an imperfect world with imperfect people, including ourselves. Yes you, I am talking to you. It’s easy to point fingers and complain about everything and everyone that is not meeting our expectations, but the truth is it’s impossible to please everyone all of the time. You will make mistakes and you will stumble, and so will others. You can either be defined by your mistakes and be so hard on yourself that you let your mistakes cripple you or you can learn from your mistakes, keep your head up, keep going and try a different technique next time. The latter option sounds like it would yield a better outcome if you ask me. Give yourself and others grace to be imperfect and complicated humans.
I don’t believe one‘s life can be entirely stress-free for the reasons mentioned above. However, fortunately stress is something that can be managed to help you become healthier and happier. Below, sharing some strategies and tips to help better manage stress in your every day life:
One of the ways that you can manage stress is to practice selfcare — prioritizing yourself and making time for rest and relaxation will help you to cope and handle stressful situations better, with more style and grace! There are so many ways to practice selfcare in order to reduce stress. For example, saying NO to the things or people that do not sparks joy in your life. Avoiding toxic people and situations. For example, if being around a certain person(s) leaves you drained and you do not leave their presence feeling good about yourself, just decline the invitation next time. Getting a massage to release muscle tensions, eating a well balanced diet, exercising and getting the normal recommended hours of sleep every day— all are also great stress relievers.
Another strategy that can help you manage stress better is therapy and counseling—working with a professional can help you get clarity on a lot of things and help you to identify blind spots and areas of improvement to minimize stress in your life. Therapy can help you to process your thoughts better and to unblock certain subjects and topics that you tried to bury deep down inside and/or tried to avoid but are impacting you nonetheless. There are times when you need to invest in yourself and hire a professional that is going to help you figure out what is going on.
Other ideas for managing stress which really goes into both selfcare and counseling already mentioned above is to stop caring so much about what other people think. Judgment from others can create so much fear and anxiety that will keep you from living your best life. You are unique and that is your super power. Let go of the idea that you need to please everyone and be liked by everyone. Focus your energy on the things and people that uplifts your spirit and replenishes you rather than worrying about who likes you and who doesn't. Some people will hate you for no reason at all and it is not your job to try to change their mind.
Also, let go of the idea that you need to control every situation — some things are out of your control and you will have to surrender to a higher power; do your part, let go and let God. There's no point in being stress about a situation that is beyond your control or having fear/anxiety about something that may or never happen. Leaning on God for help, clarity and discernment is definitely a powerful tool in coping with stress, for believers.
So, while it’s impossible to be stress-free all of the time, there are ways that you can manage stress and improve the quality of your life. Too much of anything can be bad for our health and well-being, but with the right balance and developing the right mindset and skill-set to cope with whatever stressors life throws at you--that is the ultimate glow-up and key for a better life.