Stress Management: You Can’t Carry All of the Weight

Have you ever felt like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Like any & everything that could go on is happening all at once? Like your stress-o-meter is so high it’s about to blow?

That’s me right now, & I’m stuck between 2 frames of mind: “Let Go & Let God” & “Worry on Repeat.” I’m a natural solver, & usually I’m solving things solo (I don’t do well on group projects, as you can see). That pride is in my ear whispering “you can’t figure it out, girl.” That pride, though, can turn deadly.

Girl, let’s talk about stress management, because carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders is exhausting! When life starts throwing everything at you at once, finding healthy ways to manage stress becomes a must. Sometimes, the answer isn’t to work harder or solve every problem. It’s to pause, reset your mindset, & give yourself permission to put some of that weight down.

Stress kills, sis, so you have to murder it before it takes you out. That 2-word well-known phrase is the reason I’m pushing myself into a mindset reset, & I’m about 60% closer to achieving it…but it takes WORK, ya hear me???

As long as I’m sitting idle, it’s easy for Sista Stress to sashay her lil self on into my head. But this week, I’m doing things to actively push her back into her box. A few of the things I’ve done are:

• Upping my time with God

  My normal morning routine of reading my devotionals has turned to completely shutting the world out while I spend time with the Lord. My norm is to get up, put my AirPod in, & let my phone read them to me as I move through getting ready, taking the dog out, waking up the kids, & switching work mode on.

This week, I’ve read more, paused to let it sink in, & starting having a longer heart to heart with the Big Man. The prayer for relief is there, but the thank yous are way more. Waking up with that peace takes those hopeless thoughts & kicks them to the curb.

• Heading back to the Torture Chamber (aka the gym)

  Ya girl hasn’t worked out in almost 2 months, & that’s probably one of the reasons my stress levels have been sky high. I switched it up though: no more rising to get it in before work. Now, accountability aka Husbae is up in the mix.

We have to get it together for our anniversary trip in 2 months. I mean, who wants to go on vacation looking out of shape & huffing & puffing while you explore the world? Not me, girl! So I’m super thankful for my man making me throw my sneakers on & head to the gym with him every evening. Mind you, the gym is about 25-30 steps from my back porch right in my backyard. 😬🤷🏽‍♀️

Granted I complain half the time about which exercises he has us doing that day, but I’ve gotten through each time. Now I might be walking like the Tin Man today, but at least I took the time to go to the gym & free my mind for awhile.

• Freeing my mind

  Doing things I love that take my mind away have been more intentional this week. I started (& finished) a book, so I’ve started 2 more. (Yes, I’m a book lover that can read more than 1 at a time 📚…but it has to be 1 novel & 1 self-improvement one. Can’t be mixing up characters & storylines!) This year’s goal of reading 100 books will be smashed since I hit 90 so far!

I also have been enjoying mindless games…well not completely mindless because I only play the ones that challenge your mind. It feels like a waste of time, but it’s definitely helped me to focus on the task at hand instead of the issue that won’t stop lingering. I just have to limit myself so I’m not trying to beat the machine for hours.

• Making more of a conscious effort to reset my mindset

  A mindset reset is a challenge! It takes real work to reprogram the way you think & how you react. So self-talk has entered the chat this week.

When I say self-talk, I mean an actual pep talk to myself that reminds me that I can’t solve the world’s problems (especially not alone), & THAT’S OK! Things will happen, & sometimes you just have to let them be. Wasting time dwelling on the stressful issue is just that: a waste of time.

So ladies, take some time this week to step back from whatever you’re battling & pour that energy into resetting your mind to think positively. There’s a force out there that’s far greater than you (regardless of whomever or whatever you believe in), & we can’t top that force, no matter how hard we try.

It’s ok to not be ok, & stress is going to always peek her ugly lil mug in. You just have to know & take effort to send her on her merry lil way. Choose to live because there’s always a lesson coming. Without those lessons, there’s no growth. Embrace life’s obstacles & view them for what they are: speedbumps, not road blocks!