It’s okay if stress looks different this season.
When I started writing this article, I certainly did not feel like the most apt person for the job, as anxiety has been at an all time high and nothing I try to do seems to be calming me down. I firstly want to say that we are all human, we all have feelings and we all get a little overwhelmed sometimes, and that’s okay. Therefore, I’m delving into this journey with you, to try to survive this time in the best way possible.
What is stress, and why do we get stressed? Stress is simply a reaction your body can have to a situation. It is as simple as that. Everyone will have different things that cause them stress and that calm them down. The truth is, we get stressed as we believe what we are doing is important. We do not want to fail, be ashamed or disappoint someone, albeit ourselves.
If we take that into perspective, stress just means we care.
What else is that but purpose? Having something be so important to us that we want it to go well, we want to be successful. I want to ask you to pay attention to the reasoning behind your stress, ask yourself just why it’s there. Once you know the reason behind it, digesting it gets a little simpler.
And now what? Well, now we do something about it.
And with that said, I want you to fail.
Counterintuitive, I know. Nevertheless, failing, as I’ve learnt, is the main pre-successor to success. Getting all the doors slammed on your face will not only make you want to try harder to get it right next time, but it will show you to strive for success even if it means looking for it in the shape of a window. I hope you fail time and time again, and that your mistakes help strengthen you. The most resilient and driven people are those who have been told no, those who have been (un)fortunate enough to have a couple bumps along their road. It builds your armour, it helps you identify what is worth fighting for.
If a specific subject is causing you stress, trying to suppress and ignore it will have the inverse effect. It becomes the elephant in the room. Once you address your worries, talk about them, you will set them free. Do it even if you don’t think people will give you any solutions. Do it in spite of not having solutions. The more we try to suppress our thoughts, the more they bubble up. If you speak your mind, you let go of what is anchoring you down. By expressing your thoughts, you put them in perspective. Once they are out of your head you will realise they never really were that big.
Finally, I want to say that doing amazing is good…but in some seasons, so is doing okay. You don’t always have to be a straight A student. Getting a B on an exam is not the end of the world. Sometimes your health has to come first, your life has to come first. We are all there with you, I know I certainly am. Your stress is in your head. Really. Even though it sure does feel like you are drowning in a glass of water. Stand up. Realise that the water is more shallow than you first thought.
