This week’s article is about a feeling that occurs almost every day for some, has heightened periods for others, and has been particularly hard for me lately. The feeling I wish to discuss has its roots in my wish to help others, but also has a connection to my work, my life choices, and my current path. The feeling that I want to talk about is STRESS.
Lately, I have had a bit of financial burden. I have decided to buy my first home. While this has been exciting, it has also led to quite a bit of stress as I have had to pool my money from various accounts, send and resend hundreds of documents, and fill out forms while taking classes and keeping up on my day to day lifestyle. I am beyond excited to close on this house and move in next week, but mostly so I can settle in with my new transition and be rid of this stress.
Now, nobody’s life is completely free of stress and I believe we all experience it on a daily basis to some degree. So, my question is, how do we deal with this stress? What do we do to ease it or to take advantage of down time.
This past monday, my stress mounted as some last minute details creeped in regarding the closing of the house, moving, and my possible career paths. It was in this moment I decided to take a break and focus on my passions. I took a time out, put down my phone for an hour or two, and just streamed and talked to people about mental health. This is my passion and this helps relax me. I focused my breath, made plans to go for a walk, and just looked at my life from a different perspective.
I believe that stress is something that can ruin our day, hurt our health, and can ultimately contribute to more intense depression and anxiety. I think that it is important to deal with stress in ways that are unique to your personal passions, while also relaxing you.
Now I do not believe that simply taking a nap or watching youtube is necessarily the best use of time, but I feel as though productivity is the most helpful reliever of stress. This may not be the case for all, but it seems to be the case for me. As I write this, I am still experiencing elevated stress with my move, but since it is my passion project and an easy way for me to vent publicly, it eases my worries and helps me feel understood.
The most effective stress management often comes in the form of self-care. From eating 3 meals a day, to sleeping the proper 8 hours your body needs, to exercising. You need to do the minimum to keep your body running or stress will affect you even worse..
Nonetheless, my message with this article is a simple one: think about your life differently. We all experience stress on a day to day basis in our office, in our family life, or in the random events that can throw us off kilter. It can help to pause, take some deep breaths, and think about your life and all of the things that are going well for you.
Today, I am Gene Grella, I worked a long, hard workday, but although it stressed me, I was productive. I am doing well on my career path, I have a loving family and loving friends that support me, and I am working to better myself and others every day that I can. When all is said and done, I am alive, I am in a bustling city where I feel at home, and I am making my life into what I want it to be.
Although the days can put a pit in my stomach, I feel at ease thinking these thoughts and reminding myself of the things that I am, the things that I long to be, and the efforts I have made this week to continue my progress. We can all work together to alleviate stress in our day to day lives by reminding each other how special we are and how important your friends and family are to you.
And so, I end this article with this message: Relax. If you can, take the time to explore what you are passionate about. Your momentary stresses will pass. Remind yourself of those who love you, and tell those you love how much they mean to you. We are all in this together.
Thank you,
Gene Grella