Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Handling Stress

Woooaahh yea, this is a large topic.  We all have stress in our lives, and sometimes stress escalates even though you do your best to handle it.  This is all normal and human.  Reacting poorly and not handling stress well all the time is human.  When it gets to that explosive point, recovery from our poor behavior is the only thing we can control.  That begins with forgiving yourself for getting that stressed out, and then to apologizing to whomever you may have lashed out on and finding a solution to the stress.  I should note that not every stress-causing problem has an immediate solution, but you can dissolve the stress- whether that's through getting involved in a new activity like volunteering, becoming more spiritual, pampering yourself, or seeking out friendly support.  A change in perspective will naturally help you see that stress-causing problem differently.  The hardest part is forcing yourself to get out of your rut of stress escalating misery and getting yourself out there.  However, when there is a solution to your problem, repeat to yourself, you can do this and start with step 1 towards the solution.  Oftentimes, a change of scenery can help.  For example, if it's refinancing you have to tackle, take all of your paperwork to the local library, or to a new room in your house.

Today, I had a very stressful day- I consulted my advisor regarding grad schools.  I'm super eager to apply but he wasn't very optimistic; actually, he was pretty pessimistic.  It felt like a hard blow to my spirits, but after the meeting, I tried to figure out what other resources I had.  Subsequently, I went to another appointment I had, but by the end of that, I was wiped.  Mind you, it was only 3:30 in the afternoon.  I knew I had to get away from it all, at least for a brief moment, before I re-faced everything my advisor had laid out on the table.  The result of this decision to 'get away' was this:



I went home satisfied, talked with my family a bit about what happened, and now I'm ready to handle it.  It doesn't always go so hunky-dory, but I'm telling you, sometimes it works.  So ladies, don't always be so hard on yourself; treat yourself during your most trying times- sometimes the silliest things work.  

2 comments:

  1. Nice post. Yes, i agree with you. Not only women, but men also must refresh their selves from stress by doing activities which may help to gain new strength. Me, my self, like to visit my families such as my uncle or grand mothers on my free days, and chat all day long with them. They tend to give me motivations, and stuffs. So, i always get this relaxing feeling after visiting them. Thanks for sharing. I am Andi.

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    1. Thanks Andi! Not only do I appreciate your positive feedback, but you are my first comment- I'm stunned! Thank you!

      Regarding your comment, I completely agree. Whether you're a woman or a man, it doesn't matter. Stress gets to all of us, for better or for worse. Managing life & finding balance is a constant pursuit that we can't always master. In fact, the failure to find balance can sometimes mean we need a respite- it's can be a life-deficit indicator.

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