Are you stressed out? Why do we become stressed? Can you touch stress? Can you see stress? Can you smell stress? Can anyone go out and get me some stress? Where exactly is stress anyway? Are you getting the point here? Stress only exists within each of us which is actually a good thing because that means that we have some control over it.
We have very little control over much of what occurs in this world but we do have the ability to change ourselves and how we relate to the world and all of its phenomena. So you see, stress is simply created by our inability to cope with life with trust and serenity, and does not actually exist in this life other than within each of us.
Since life doesn’t actually force us to be stressed, as we have already determined that stress does not exist in the world other than within, it would seem as if we have a choice here. We can choose to be stressed or not. Hmmm, let’s see, do I want to feel happy and at peace or do I want to be stressed and miserable? I am choosing happiness!
So much of our pain is self-inflicted because of our inability to deal with life on life’s terms and our ignorance of the ways things are. Simply put, we can either accept life or not. With acceptance comes peace and happiness and when we fight the way life is we suffer. I am not telling you that it is always easy to accept life as it is, but it is the answer to peace, which is an opposite of stress.
Maybe your stress is a result of needing to work a lot to pay the bills and still not having enough money or having no time or money to take a much needed vacation. The answer to living stress free in such cases is still the same… acceptance. We need to accept our lot and not compare our lives to those who have more as that makes acceptance more difficult. Instead, look at those who have less than you and watch the gratitude pour in and the stress melt away. Hey, maybe you do need a break to keep your sanity. Part of living stress free also means that we need to know our limits and try our best to rest when necessary, allowing ourselves to take a break and do something fun. Remember, not everything fun and relaxing costs money. I am guessing that we can all find something to do to take care of ourselves that doesn’t require a lot of time or money.
Sometimes we need to make other life changes if we wish to live stress free. For example, if we cannot afford to pay the mortgage in a large house and this is the cause of our stress, perhaps we need to downsize. We can apply this philosophy to many of the material things in our lives as much of the stress people experience today is self-induced financial stress. So, if need be, remove yourself from situations that you seem unable to accept that are causing you stress, financial or otherwise and always recall the following prayer…
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.*
*A version of the Serenity Prayer adapted by Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve step programs which was based on Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr’s original version.
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