Life is stressful but you hold the keys to your happiness!
It’s ok to admit that life is stressful! It can feel like you are balancing a million different things on your plate and you continue to add more and more until it topples over. Stress is easy to put on, but a process to let go of.
I want to help you along your journey with 5 simple steps of alleviating common stressors of life, so you can make room for more happiness.
1. Take inventory of what is causing stress
I believe Elsa from Frozen says it best, “Let it go.” You need to take a step back from your massive plate and see what you can let go of. This can be seen in your time, finances, or simply the stuff in your house. An easy way to do this is to measure, what are you utilizing, is it serving you, do you really need this?
Maybe it looks like decluttering your closet that is filled with stuff you will never use or unsubscribing from an app that is pointless to you. Once things are released from your hands, you will see more room to say yes to things you truly want to do that make you happier.
2. The gift of gratitude
Focusing on what you do not have is a whole lot easier than seeing the abundance right in front of you. I know because I have struggled with this in my life. Growing up I had the ideology of ‘survival mode’ where your attention is on retrieving what you do not have instead of enjoying what God has already given you.
Be purposeful in noticing the blessing, and then be grateful for them.
This is a process because your brain, like mine, will have to be reprogrammed to go to gratitude instead of disappointment. This roots from understanding how you are programmed and designed to Master Your Identity and defeat your prior mindset.
I challenge you to write down 100 blessings, some may find this hard, but this is a step to rewriting your normal tendencies and propel you towards a life of gratitude.
3. Living in the present
I have caught myself going through the motions instead of living my life.
After a while I realize that so much time has gone by and I did not experience any of it. To combat this you have to be mindful of living in the moment. This can simply look like taking time in your day to take a deep breathe and appreciate the breathe in your lungs. Or sit down and enjoy every single bite of your meal without rushing through it.
These tiny rituals help you experience what is right in front of you and is so important to a mindful life. Some people say that you do not appreciate something until it is gone, but I challenge you to appreciate it while you still have it.
The reality is God is with you in the present, not our past or future, but He meets you right where you are.
You will never truly experience God unless you slow down and live in the present.
4. Empowering yourself
Practicing self care is something I have recently implemented into my life. I have set goals to sleep a good amount every night, be mindful of how much water I drink in a day, or what products I put on and in my body.
Most importantly, spending time with God and diving into His Word. It is important to stay in an empowered state rather than feeling less than. This translates to multiple areas of your life. Anywhere you have to put energy towards will become harder if you are not filling up first.
If you do not take time to fill up, you will be giving from an empty cup, exhausting yourself in the process.
I challenge you to find what empowers you and fills you up, then do them to take care of you!
5. Letting Go of expectation
People will fail your expectations!
Look at your reality and look at your desires. There may be a small gap, but most of the time there is a big gap between what you have and what you want. The goal is for the gap to get closer together so your dreams become your reality. Expectations of others can get in the way of that.
It is important that your expectations are vocalized because some people do not even know you are holding them to that standard and then fail.
Sometimes it looks like letting go of your expectations all together and picking up what you can control.What are the steps you can take right now?
Do not be passive in your dreams but be actively pursuing them so they come true. Instead of waiting for things to happen go out and make them happen!
My hope for you is that you can alleviate stress and achieve happiness to move you towards the life you want to live. I want to continue guiding you through this journey with my FREE Power of Personality Mini Course so you can discover your identity and purpose in life.
You have what it takes. You are enough. You can make your dreams come true! Go and shine bright and make a difference!
