Three Ways to Conquer the Stress That's Killing You!
A doctor told me one time that the number one killer in the world isn’t deep fried mozzarella sticks or a lack of exercise. Instead, it’s the presence of constant stress in ones life. That one fact has shaped me as a person as much as any piece of wisdom that has ever been told to me.
I’ve had a strange romance with the idea of stress for as long as I can remember – years before hearing how deadly it is. For some reason, I’ve always had an innate ability to remain positive to a fault and not allow the stress of the world to control me. I’m pretty sure I can give this credit to my Father who I watched go through a lot in my younger days (divorce, loss, cancer) while always remaining steady and consistent with a big old Lar-Dog (his name is Larry) smile on his face! Love you and thanks Pops!
I type this article as I’m sitting in an airport T.G.I. Friday’s in Atlanta waiting for a bag that may or may not show up “in the next 3-4 hours.” You see, I flew to Atlanta from Charlotte earlier today for work on my way to Paris. From there to India. Missing my connection in Atlanta has forced me stranded at the airport until my bag arrives so I can head to the hotel and rest up for my re-booked flights tomorrow afternoon. As I write these details out on the page I’m starting to see how inconvenient this situation really is. However, I’ve yet to be stressed.
Here are my three keys to keeping stress as far out of my life as possible!
1. Choose to control only what you can control:
When you really stop to think about the things that actually stress you out you will be amazed about how many of them you have absolutely ZERO control over. My mentality is that if I can’t control what is going on then just let it be. An ugly situation can never get better when you choose to throw a dash of stress on top of it. You can't make that plane land faster, you can't force the traffic jam to free up, and you can't control the way your boss responds to your emails, etc. You will be amazed at how much of a choice it is to allow or not allow stress to become a part of your trials – TAKE CONTROL.
2. What’s supposed to be will be
You can agree or disagree with this point. Either way, it makes me feel good and creates a dialogue of excitement in my life that I really love. I would venture to guess that most of you reading this can point to at least one or two fairly major things in your life that wouldn’t exist today if it weren’t for some strange, unexpected series of events. Whether that’s a job you recently landed or the significant other you are with, think long and hard about what your “random blessings” are in life. Aren't you glad you have them? I have tons! One of my greatest examples is the young lady I’m happily with today. If it weren’t for an unexpected move across the country to a city I didn’t want to move to and a few stressful rules that needed to be broken along the way I wouldn’t be with her today. The lesson here is this – sometimes when things aren’t going as planned stop and think that there may just be a curve ball blessing somewhere hiding around the corner. Don'g let stress keep you from having your eyes peeled!
3. Life is just too damn good
This point is my favorite. I heard a quote the other day that says, “While you’re frustrated with whatever inconvenient problem you may be going through always remember that someone out there is currently fighting for their life.” When you really evaluate the things that you (and I sometimes) allow to drag you down and stress you out, it’s crazy how much they don’t compare to some of the real problems that people around us face every day. I’ve always found that the lens of gratitude is much more fun and fulfilling than the magnifying glass of stress. Things could always be worse, and most of us have more than we could ever need in 50 lifetimes. It’s all perspective — don't let stress force you to forget that.
So, as I sit here at this airport I could choose to stress and complain about the fact that I’m losing an entire 24 hours of my time, that I could be home on a Saturday night instead of staying in a dingy airport hotel, and that my feet are literally sticking to the floor of this T.G.I. Fridays as I wait a couple more hours in hopes that my bag shows up so I can hopefully brush my teeth tonight. But, I have no control over this situation, there may be some awesome reason I’m spending an unexpected night in Atlanta, and at the end of the day LIFE IS GOOD! Nothing but smiles over here for me! Choose to live your life stress free – you’ll be around much longer.
Written by Josh Mastel
Founder, The Unentitled Project
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