I don’t know about you, but the word “Monday” being tossed around like it’s a common occurrence is enough to get me a little stressed out.
Ha. Oh wait.
Whether it’s another Monday or something else entirely, we all have those trigger points that get our heartbeats going faster and have us all in a tizzy, stressed about a past flub up or future happening or question-marked unknown. But isn’t it annoying to have all of these random stressors tugging at our inner peace and joy all day? We can choose joy, we can just focus and keep aiming, but at the end of the day, unnecessary stress still threatens to bog us down, causing worry and anxiety and a need for a glass of Cabernet by the time 5 o’clock rolls around.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could eliminate unnecessary stress before it even pops up in our passionate, drive, overthinking minds?
Heck yeah it would.
What’s unnecessary stress?
Unnecessary stress is anything and everything that makes you wig out unnecessarily. (Le duh, right?) They’re things out of our control. They’re natural, daily occurrences that can totally throw off our game if we don’t declare ourselves the bad beotch in charge of ’em. Here are 5 unnecessary stresses you might see everyday, and how to eliminate them on the spot:
Time is an unnecessary stress.Â
We check out the clock and automatically stress out, whether that’s because it’s too far late in the day for what we want to accomplish, or we’re up too late working, or up too early working. We’re always trying to beat the clock and get worked up if it’s too early or too late or if there’s not enough time, and we forget the fact that time doesn’t change. It’s hard when our busy lives mandate that we live and breathe by our planners and schedules, but that doesn’t mean we have to become slaves to our Google calendar!
How to eliminate it:
There have always been, always are, and always will be 24 hours in a day. Maybe you can’t get through your list of 42 to-do’s in these 24 hours, but hey – you’ve got the next. It’s all about perspective, self-discipline, and a really good planner (like the Purposeful Planner from Corie Clark, which I cannot get enough of).
Success is an unnecessary stress.Â
How much stress do we put on ourselves everyday to “be a success”? Now…what the heck does that even mean?? Success is subjective! What’s successful to one person might not be to the next, and this complete enigma of a word just ends up causing unnecessary anxiety and stress in our minds. We want to be a success, we want to be seen as a success, we want to feel like a success – but really, we might not even know what that means to us, and that can be stressful.
How to eliminate it:
How do you know when you’ve become a success? You don’t, unless you’re relying on other people saying so (see numero dos below). But you feel like you’re letting people down and therefore not being successful? Honestly, people aren’t that concerned. The people who care the most about you in this world probably just want you to be happy and try your hardest and find your bliss in life, so they’re not keeping tabs on your so-called “success.” And the other people? They’re probably too busy doing their own thing to really care, and they’re trying to be a “success” themselves. How the heck is success even measures, anyways?!?! Hint: it’s different for every person on the planet, so eliminate this unnecessary stress by remembering that little fact.
What other people think about you is an unnecessary stress.
Because you know you care far too much about that, and it’s gotta stop, girlfriend (or guy friend)! The second we feel like someone isn’t vibing with us, we get nervous and our minds run through the 15 different experiences we’ve had with that person, overanalyzing everything in the hopes of pinpointing one moment where something might have gone arift in the relationship to make the person not have the highest view of you. But you know what? That’s 100%, totally, completely out of your control.
How to eliminate it:
All you can do it be the absolute best you and care as much as possible for other people – how they receive that and how they shine it back is on them. As the saying goes, once the ball is in someone else’s court, there’s no use worrying about it. You don’t know what they think, you can’t control what they think, and in the end – they’re entitled to their own thoughts anyways. Keep doin’ yo’ thang and stop stressing about getting approval from everyone and their mother. You don’t owe anyone anything. You don’t need to prove anything. You just need to be you.
To-Do lists are an unnecessary stress.
That’s not at all to say to-do lists aren’t necessary, because Lord knows I cling way too closely to mine and it’s always. growing. What that is to say is that they’re meant to keep us organized and prioritized – not freaking out! When we start to feel ourselves get worked up over how much is on that list, it’s now becoming counterproductive, because we’re stressing over that instead of just pushing through that list and checking things off.
How to eliminate it:
Practice prioritizing like a pro. Instead of just having this open-ended list of tasks, give things an actual order. Add a few more details to your list, like due dates or more expansive timelines.
“What ifs” are an unnecessary stress.
You know the drill; you enter the world of hypotheticals –Â this big black hole of unknowns and – you guessed it – stress! There’s definitely something to be said for realistically planning ahead and trying to have a grip on things so no sudden surprises come your way to derail your hard work and good intentions. But. When was the last time your 13 “what ifs” actually panned out to be reality?? What if’s stress us the heck out, and for no good reason.
How to eliminate it:
Focus on the present moment. Make every single moment the absolute best you can, and try to keep your mind preoccupied on that instead of allowing it to wander out to the abyss of unknowns.
You owe it to yourself – do something to beat those stressful suckers before they even have a split second shot at hurting your mood, damaging your self-esteem, or driving your stress levels through the roof. Whether that means really getting good at discerning your own triggers or just getting good at treating yo’self to a cup of coffee, good book, or fresh bouquet when you need a pick-me-up to get back to equilibrium, do what it takes to re-focus your mind on what really matters and forget the crap that doesn’t!
What’s an unnecessary stress in your life, and how are you working to get it outta there?
I’d love to hear your own tips: What works for you in beating that stress that has no good place in your life, anyways? Leave a comment below and let’s get to chatting. Because this is a no-stress zone. Happy days ahead!