Podcast Episode 126 - How to find joy in the stresses of life
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What stresses you out?
Are you a “go with the flow” or a “dot the i’s cross the t’s and” kind of person?
What do you really want out of life? Stress-free or enjoy the journey?
Today is going to be for you if:
If you’re ready to enjoy more of your life more often.
If you’re tired of feeling stressed out regularly.
If you need help gaining a different perspective so you can enjoy your journey.
Stress…we all experience it…
The other day we had three extra kids in the house beyond our own three. I’m going to admit that stresses me out. I’m on constant vigilance watch, ensuring everyone is good and no one is fighting.
Most of the time, kids can be loud, especially when you get a bunch of them together, all trying to be the leader or options clashing.
Then throw a 112.5-pound Goldendoodle who almost loses his mind out of excitement when new people come over on top of all that chaos.
“I love the chaos!”
No, really; I want harmony…LOL.
If I lived my life harmoniously and in line with what I thought it should be, I would miss out on life. And my kids would miss out, and so would anyone else in my life.
So many times, we live our lives stressed out because life differs from what we think it should be.
You see, someone else could be in my same chaotic situation, and it wouldn’t bother them a bit.
What causes you stress? How are you viewing the world?
Stress often stems from learned behavior, which we create as little people to keep ourselves safe.
But when we take that self-defense mechanism, that thought pattern, into adulthood, it stops serving us and causes us unneeded stress.
Examine your stresses and see if learned behaviors cause them.
If they are, guess what? That means you can change it!
Have you ever said to yourself:
I’ve always been this way.
I’m just _________________.
I’ve got _________________ (ADHD, OCD, etc.).
A lot of what we think we are is a learned behavior. It’s not our personality but a mask we put on to put on a face and keep ourselves safe.
Look at your stress and ask: “How can I engage with this stress?”
I swapped “I need harmony to have peace” to “I love the chaos” because my kids were having fun and learning how to navigate friendships.
I used to say, “conflict equals disconnection,” to “when I engage with conflict good things happen.”
When I do that, I can release that self-created stress and enjoy the moment.
How can you engage with this stress to defuse it and shift your perspective?
“When I engage with…fill in the blank”
When you shift your perspective, the stress dissipates, and you will enjoy life more. We’re also going to grow as a person.
Is the cross of Jesus bigger than our issues or not?
Sometimes we act like the issue will always be that way without questioning. But so much of the stress we think can’t change can…when we learn to engage with it.
Are you ready to shift your perspective so you can enjoy your journey?
If you need more help shifting your perspective to enjoy your life more, pick up my free resource, Three Habits to Live Fearlessly Free, at https://www.heatherlbunch.com/.