Stress...gotta let it go!

In the Tree House: Stress…Gotta Let it Go!

By: Samantha Stroube Daviss

Some of us tend to release our stress in various ways, and others tend to bottle things up inside. But no matter how you handle it, stress in a constant factor in all of our lives. And to live more productive lives, we have to learn to come to peace with the issues, problems, weighing thoughts, and concerns in order to allow ourselves and our bodies to live happier, healthier lives.

So are you ready to start this journey of figuring out what some of the things are that really weigh us down the most?

Foremost is being obligatorily right all the time. Guess what…you aren’t right all the time. No one on this earth is that smart or omniscient all the time. Most people can’t stand the idea of being wrong, but the fact is…you are sometimes. So release the urge, nay the need, to always be right. Not only is your obstinance causing you stress and pain, but you are placing it on others too. A great way to help fight the urge to be right all the time is to ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” –Wayne Dyer.

A second point of stress release is to learn to give up your need for control. Whether its family, friends, co-workers, or just strangers on the street. You cannot control their actions, how they do something, their timeliness (or lack thereof), or the manner in which they do it. No way is the right way, and believe me your way isn’t perfect either; so just learn to accept people for who they are and how they go about their lives.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try the world is beyond winning.” –Lao Tzu

Start taking responsibility for your life, your actions and your beliefs. A lot of people are scared to spend any amount of time alone, for fear they will actually get to know who is deep down inside their soul; and I think that fear comes from the fact that they may not like the results of who that person is. So learn to like yourself and become the person you want to be. And don’t blame others for what you have or don’t have; you must remain in control of your own life and your own destiny. Stop giving your powers away.

Another way to rid stress from your life is to extinguish any sort of negative talk from your life. You are only hurting yourself with negative talk and negative thoughts. Be proud, be confident, and be sure of who you are and your goals in life. Lose your self-defeating mindset. If you think positively, you will be positive.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” – Eckhart Tolle

Stop complaining!! Stop complaining about many things—people, situations, actions, or even events that have made you sad or depressed. That control is in your hands. Nobody can make you unhappy; no situation can make you miserable unless you allow it to. Remember the old saying: “Let it wash of your back like water off a duck’s back”? Well that’s exactly what you need to do to lessen the stress in your life. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking. I always try to take a key off my kids, every morning they wake up cooing, laughing and smiling in their beds. And if you start each and every day with a smile…then your day will stay happy.

Impress yourself, not others. Set goals and dreams for yourself, stop trying to be someone you’re not just to make others like you. Life is not a popularity contest. I heard once that if you die with five really great friends in your life, I mean those that know you inside and out, and accept you for who you are; then you have lived a full life. So stop trying to impress everyone around you into liking you. The moment you take off that mask and embrace who you really are, you will find more people drawn to you.

And the final tip for relieving stress in your life is to give up the past. As they say: “The past is the past, and the present is a gift.” I know it’s hard to “let the past go”, but you have to. You can’t change what happened yesterday or ten years ago. Accept the path you have been given and move forward. Harboring resentment, “what ifs”, or “if I had only” will send you to an early grave. Consider this: the present is all you have and all you will ever have and the past was once the present you ignored. So be present in everything you do in life; after all, life is a journey not a destination. It’s good to have a vision for the future, always learn from your past, there is a lesson in everything, but remain present in the now, because it will vanish in the blink of an eye.

Life is a rollercoaster and there are a lot of ups and downs, but if you can just get a handle on a few things that add to the stress of living, and vanquish your life of those other things; life will actually be a lot more fun and a lot simpler. But always remember to stay true to yourself. It really doesn’t matter what other people think of you, you won’t lose sleep over it at night; and remember, other people’s personal thoughts can’t hurt you, right?