Sure, do your deep breathing. Did the stress magically disappear. I doubt it. We still have to deal with whatever caused the stress in the first place. And here is where the magic happens. We CAN manage our peace of mind. We can manage how we approach every situation, every day. How? Just by the way we acknowledge its existence. It can be seen as an opportunity, or it can be seen as an obstacle. We can approach the stressful situation with a calm, sound mind...OR we can approach it as just more stress in an already stressful day.
How do we manage our peace of mind, you ask? Perspective. That's how. Let's look at the simplest example. You woke up today. Do you know how many people didn't? Stay with me now... For those still breathing, what country did you wake up in? Not all countries have freedoms, much less opportunities to become a better wage earner. And what about war torn Israel and Palestine, and Ukraine? If you woke up in America, you won the lottery!
Not to be condescending, but did you wake up with a roof over your head? Not everyone did. Is there a car sitting in your drive? Many don't have their own transportation. Do you have a job? Many don't have. For various reasons, true. And we can speculate about that all day long, but it still doesn't change the fact that you DO have a job. Along with the possible stresses it brings with it. Or should we say, "along with the possible opportunities" it brings with it?
I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that there is so much more going right for us today, than what's going wrong, but we've been taught to focus on what's going wrong. Am I right? Even before we rolled out of bed this morning, a lot of good was happening in our world and in our lives, and there's so much to be thankful for. So...wouldn't you agree that the main remedy for stress is gratitude? We all could us more gratitude. Right?
May I suggest a few things to help us get our gratitude on?
1) Spend a few minutes every morning of your day, every day, thinking about what you're thankful for...your spouse, your children, your parents, your house, the things you have in your life...your purpose, your job, your co-workers, your pets, your eyes, your lungs, your heart...anything you are thankful for. They are gifts that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. As the saying goes, that's why they are called the "present."
2) Be grateful for everything you have in your life. Focus on what you DO have, and not what you DON'T have. We had a paralyzed from the chest down, friend, a very long time ago. He's gone on to be with his Creator, now. But while living, after a horrible accident left him paralyzed, as we visited with him while he sat in his wheelchair, I asked him how he was managing the stress of a forever changed life. His response? "I focus on what I CAN do, not what I can't." Profound. Right?
3) I know you may be going through some really tough things right now. We do have those mountains that need climbing, every now and again. But let me challenge us all to, every time those stressful moments come up, go right back to gratitude and make our brains think about all the good things that are going right in that moment...not the bad, or like I like to say, the "not-so-good".
Many of the things we consider problems and major stressors are not really such a big deal. "Walk a mile in my shoes." I know. However, what I consider real stressors come in the form of losing a loved one or having something happen to a child, or spouse, or dearly loved one. Those are real stressful situations. When my sister was diagnosed with a rare condition that took way too long to diagnose (she went through a LOT of painful experiments), THAT was considered a bit stressful. PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy) was the final and accurate diagnosis. Trapped inside a body that had no ability to control any part of itself. Her very intelligent, compassionate, and strong brain could command all day and all night, to no avail. All signals stopped at the base of her skull where the spinal cord relays the jobs to the body that need doing. Nothing could be passed on to her seriously beautiful body. It slowly consumed her, beginning at her feet, so she knew what was happening at all times, and she faced it head on. She relied on the things she COULD do (and her amazing husband), until she could no longer do them. She was a prisoner in the truest sense of the word, until she was returned to her forever home. I can only imagine the level of stress my brother-in-law endured as he watched and helped her along her journey. Kind of puts things into perspective, right?
I guess my point would be to not treat everyday stresses as if one our loved ones is dying or has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Don't do that to yourself every day. Put things in perspective. Most things are just not that big of a deal. There is a solution to every problem if we just breathe deep and look at the problem as an opportunity instead of a deal breaker. We have soooo much to be grateful for!
Wrapping this up, please indulge me with one more bit of encouragement. Health is our biggest asset. If we lose that, we pretty much have nothing. If our lungs are working properly, then we are winning! If our heart continues to beat as it was created to do, then we are winning! If our brain continues to feed us information and grows in knowledge with love and compassion at its center, we are winning! We don't have to live another day stressing if we choose not to. Let's choose to be thankful regardless of what this life throws our way. Plus...stress keeps us from experiencing real health. Right?
With all my love (most of the time 😉) for all of God's Creation...here you will find me, in Mary's World.
No comments:
Post a Comment