Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
Are you sitting down right now reading this knowing you have 5 other things to do? I challenge you right now to write a list. Write down those 5 things so you don’t forget them while you are reading. Who is guilty of yelling at the TV screen? No, they can’t hear you. Who gets frustrated at the trusty weatherman when he forecasts sunshine and you wake to the sound of rain? No, he didn’t do it on purpose and no, you can’t change the weather. Who swears at the traffic light when it turns from green to orange? No, it didn’t see you coming.
LESSON NUMBER ONE: DON’T STRESS OVER THINGS YOU CANNOT CONTROL!
Tip to overcome it:
Say to yourself - ‘What can you do about it?’ if it’s out of your control, LET IT GO. If there’s the something you can do about it, FIX IT!
People these days constantly complain about the amount of stress in their lives. Think about this though, the stress we add to situations can probably account for over 50%. How many times have you worked yourself up over asking your boss a question, when the answer was simply “yeah sure”? As humans, we have a tendency to make the simplest situation into a life crisis.
LESSON NUMBER TWO: DON’T STRESS OVER OUTCOMES THAT HAVE NOT YET OCCURRED!
Tip to overcome it:
Say to yourself - ‘What is the worst outcome?’ Immediately followed by, ‘What is the best outcome?’. Weigh it up, and if the worst outcome doesn’t result in death, injury, illness or sending someone broke – it’s probably not that big of a deal in the long run. No, life isn’t always Instagram perfect – but why make things that don’t REALLY matter, effect our lives and mood? The first thing you need to do in order to combat this is recognising the trigger for your sudden mood change. Was it the fact you had to stay back for an hour at work? If so, ask yourself one question. Did you agree to stay that extra hour? If so, STOP COMPLAINING! Self-inflicted stress and anger can often stem from self-inflicted situations. In life, you ALWAYS have a choice. Sometimes, the tougher decision is the one that will make you happier, so maybe it’s time to stop stressing about being stressed (because that’s stressful) and make a change!
LESSON NUMBER THREE: DON’T STRESS OVER SOMETHING YOU CHOSE TO DO!
Tip to overcome:
If someone asks you a question, ask yourself - ‘Will I have to sacrifice time with family, friends or at the gym? Will this make me unhappy and stressed?’ The final decision is up to you – but remember you made it so you deal with the consequences! In summary, there is absolutely no point in getting stressed about things you can’t control. Make your life a whole lot happier by addressing the DIRECT problem and doing something about it. If there is nothing you can do about it…don’t stress about it. If no one is going to die, be injured, get sick or lose money…don’t stress about it. Finally, you always have a choice. Not happy? Do something about it!
Now back to those 5 things you had to do… go on…start checking off that list!
