This phrase couldn’t be truer. Getting older is all about finding ways to deal with responsibilities. That’s why it’s a trap. Parents may tell you about saving money and to make sure you have a good job and get paid well. But how many really sit down and educate you on how to balance your expenses with your income? How many really let you know about dealing with setbacks and how to get back on track when you encounter difficulty, all while trying to keep a household running smoothly? Stress is real and if you don’t know how to deal with it, it could be your biggest downfall.
Everyone isn’t dealt an easy hand in life. Financial and emotional problems can really take their toll, separately and when coupled, and everyone has a different way of dealing with stress. I’m a comfort eater and it sickens me. To make it worse, when I am in that mode, working out is the last thing I want to do but at the same time I get mortified at the thought of gaining more weight. Weird huh? I know. I’m trying to channel all of my stress into workouts. It’s not easy but I figured the best I could do, as a small step, is go for a walk whenever I find myself slipping food wise or feeling stressed.
There are times when you just feel so overwhelmed you just want to break down and cry and it doesn’t seem like things are looking up for you. My motto for these times is to give yourself one day. One day to have a good cry, get it all out and figure out how you want to deal with it. Crying and looking for handouts or someone to take on what you’re feeling doesn’t help you or whomever you’re trying to drag into your misery. Find some way of dealing with your problems. I also try to write how I’m feeling to get all of my feelings out, obviously, you don’t have to literally write, you can just create an online journal. But the point is to get it all out. Angry with your neighbor? Write out what you’d really say to them and give it a day to cool down. Then contact whoever you have to, neighbor, Landlord or police, in a calm manner and deal with the situation. Getting crazy doesn’t help anyone and only makes things worse for you.
I’ve been feeling at my wits end recently. I feel like I have way more on my plate than I could handle and dealing with it all is a bit stressful but I’m trying to tackle everything that comes my way with a level head instead of panicking and running to a corner to hide. I guess I’m maturing. I feel like if it’s not for me, attack it the same time and do not let it drag on. If it’s bothering me, think and try different ways to tackle it that I can move forward in a positive note.
If we let stress get to us, we cannot perform at our best. We cannot communicate or focus in an effective manner and we only dig a hole and bury ourselves deeper into the ground. Try different forms of communicating and dealing with issues, and never forget to consider your behavior in everything that you do. You can blame everyone around you, but look at your behavior to see how you may be contributing to it, and work on it. It takes 3 weeks to create a new habit and 3 months to lose an old one. Change begins with you and you have to know how to promote positive change within yourself before you expect and demand it from others.