I let stress get the best of me yesterday. My boss asked me to do something that somehow left me feeling like I wasn’t doing my job properly. So while I had told myself I wasn’t going to have a drink, I found myself pouring a glass of red wine, the moment I decided it might help me relax. Which may or may not have been before my work day was actually over.
So now what? How do I not get stuck here? How do I move forward? During the day I took a lot of deep breaths and then I examined my day and what was behind causing all my stress. For me, it’s usually multiple things.
I’ve recently taken on a lot. I work full time, homeschool part-time (as we’ve all been resigned to becoming part-time teachers), resell part-time, began the process of getting my license to become a life coach and am about to embark on getting a Mindfulness certification. Did I mention 3 dogs and a cat? Whew. It even sounds like a lot when I write it. Oh! And blogging. That’s a new one for me.
But these are parts of my life that I have control over. I choose to become involved in most of these things. But realistically, I know I can only do one or two of these things really well or all of them minimally. So what can I do? I can prioritize and put something on hold for now. And that’s okay. Eventually, the parts that fulfill me, will reveal themselves and some things may fall away. Or perhaps it’s a time management issue. Some of the most successful people don’t do less but they do schedule their days in advance.
It was important to feel the effects that my boss’ words had on me and to process them. And I had to be honest with myself. Why did they make me feel that way? Was I not doing everything I should have been doing? Could I be working harder? Can I better understand what her expectations are? The answer to all of the above is yes. So I have some homework to do.
I also realized I have underlying disappointment in myself for wanting to fit exercise into my day and not doing it. Why didn’t I? I woke up too late, to do it in the morning. I chose to run errands at lunch and after working all day, was when I chose to write. And honestly, it’s not just that I missed working out yesterday, I’ve missed it for the past…year? But it still makes me feel bad.
All choices. All mine. Leading us back to the control we all have in our lives. I can beat myself up all day long because I don’t make exercise a priority. The solution? I can schedule it as if I had an exercise class to be at. I can pick out my workout clothes the night before and know exactly what routine I’m going to do when I get up at 6:30 tomorrow morning. And what if I don’t? I’m going to stop stressing out about it. The stress is not serving me. Maybe my mind is not in the right place. Or maybe I just can’t handle another thing that I feel like I NEED to do. But that will be my choice.
Stress can be manageable. Don’t let it overtake you. Acknowledge the situations you have control over and make changes that will start to put your mind at ease. Take a look at the real reasons you feel so overwhelmed. Figure out the things you can do to help mitigate those feelings. And I know, some situations, we have no control over but we always have control over how we feel. And it doesn’t mean going it alone. Ask a friend to get up in the morning, text you and get a workout in as well. If the dirty dishes are what stress you out, ask a child, sibling, significant other, roommate, to lend a hand. And take a deep breath. Life is an amazing gift.
Let me know what causes you stress and what you do when you feel stressed?