STRESS

School is stressful, relationships are stressful, work is stressful...life is stressful.

I have typically not been very good at coping with stress. When I get stressed, I tend to push my feelings and emotions aside in order to get things accomplished. This causes my emotions to build up inside until they explode at very inconvenient times. In a way this can be a good thing, the fact that I am able to avoid thinking about certain things and avoid reacting  emotionally as some people would. However, like I said, I tend to push the emotions away and then deal with them at inappropriate times or take them out on people that are not deserving. Typically when I am overwhelmed I will eat. I don’t know why but when something is bothering me I feel like I have to have food in my mouth. I also have a tendency to go shopping and spend money on things I don’t necessarily need. I used to do this all of the time. If I had a stressful day at work I would swing by Target and just go crazy. This led to me having no money and a ton of junk that eventually got thrown away. Through living and learning about myself as well as learning about stress in school, I have learned some things that I can do to help alleviate and deal with stress when it comes my way.

- For matters such as school I find that I do a lot of self-talk. I tell myself things like “Get the work done and then you don’t have to worry about it.” or “It’s just one more assignment and then it’s over.”

I get really stressed about my Spanish class because it is a hard class for me so I tell myself, “Just get through this class and you will be fine, it’s not that big of a deal.” I have to remind myself a lot that we are all human and we all make mistakes. 

- When I get stressed about life in general I always go to my mama, daddy, or maw maw. I know they are so much wiser than I am and can teach me valuable lessons and help me work through difficult circumstances.

- I love to exercise so instead of spending money and time shopping when I’m stressed, I will go for a run, take a walk, or do an exercise video.

- I also have channeled my love of food during stressful times into preparing new healthy recipes for myself and my family. It helps me appreciate what I’m eating and not eat mindlessly to fill a void.

- The best thing I could ever do when I'm stressed is talk it over with my heavenly father. While this should always be the first thing I do, most of the time it is the last. I have learned that when I give my problems to The Lord he will take care of them...He can handle my situations better than I ever could. I never have to worry because I know He is on my side.

    I know that pushing feelings and emotions aside is not healthy and I’m really trying to do better about dealing with things instead of letting them build up and then blow up. I don't like to be stressed because I want to be happy and enjoy life. When I go ahead and face the stress, deal with it, and get it over with, I am so much better off.

   The most important thing to remember when stress hits is that whatever it is that is causing the stress WILL go away. This feeling that you are experiencing right now is only temporary. I see people lose their minds over the stress of final exams...yes, your grades are important but in 5-10 years is a B versus a C really going to matter? No, especially if you don't retain any of the material. Do not waste this life getting worked up and emotional about things that will not last. Take a deep breath and remember that letting yourself get overwhelmed with emotion will not do anything to help solve your problem. Find a healthy coping mechanism, talk to God about it, talk your problem over with someone you trust, and get to working it out.