Life is fraught with challenging experiences, and it turns out stress follows those challenges. But it isn’t only the monumental choices we make that take a toll on us. I know that it drives me up the wall when I find my sister wearing my clothes or my mom using my bathroom products and then I find out I have a ton of work to do for school and work later in the evening. Throw in a bunch of other extra comments and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a stressful day. All in all, life can sometimes seem like a hefty burden - but the point is, why even worry about those things? They are nothing in the grand scheme.
We manage to make it through another day even though our little sisters are wearing the shirts we’ve been looking for, and we push past the arduous realization that sometimes we will be inconvenienced, and that’s okay. The small stuff we sweat over in our day-to-day lives is annoying as well, and when we let them nag at us it can really sink under our skin. It turns out, all those little things we hold onto throughout the day are having a cumulative effect and are increasing our stress levels. Chronic stress is horrible for your health - it ups the risk of heart disease, weakens the immune system and has detrimental effects on certain types of memory and learning.
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So what can we do to help let it all go?
If you ever feel defeated, then focus on the present moment. Take control of the present moment and remember what you came to do. This is your time. “It’s never the stress-inducing event that you’re freaking out about,” says Steven Berglas, Ph.D., a life coach in Los Angeles. “It’s what you’re afraid might happen because of it."
If you ever feel inconvenienced, reevaluate your situation. This can help you think of the big picture. Instead of focusing on what is bothering only you, a larger perspective begins to unfold. “Thinking differently calms down your brain’s emotional region,” says James Gross, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Stanford University.
I know that if I ever feel aggravated, I'm going to practice thinking differently and opening up my mind to the bigger picture, instead of focusing on what is bothering us we shouldn't really worry about it. It is what it is. We can only do so much and we can only control ourselves. It is a great accomplishment to have control over one's emotions. The stress that follows us with the little stuff will keep adding up if we do not let it go, and so it is up to us to just make with biology and chill.
