Stress is not welcomed here.

With the Christmas holidays just around the corner, the year-end is one of the busiest period of the year. You try to finish as many projects as possible at work. You want to spend as much time as possible with your family/friends but this is often quite difficult because of the full daily schedules that we all have. You plan your Christmas shopping and always end up with last-minute frantic shopping in the nearby mall. 

All of this can become overwhelming and instead of enjoying the holidays, you end up dreading them. Stress can have major negative consequences on your relationships, work performance, but most importantly your mental health. I know that sometimes it is impossible to predict how your life will unfold and be prepared for what is coming. However, I have found that worrying about the future would not make you prepared for the good and the bad things that inevitably come in everybody’s life. 

This is year was a game-changer when it comes to my take on life. I ended some really toxic relationships and this made me realize that I need to be more careful when I choose the people around me. Your personal environment has a massive impact on who you are and how you perceive your life and every difficulty that comes your way. If you are surrounded by negative and toxic people, you will always see only the negative aspects of the world. If, on the other hand, your environment includes positive people who always search for the good even in the worst of situations, the bubble of negativity won’t be sustained for long.

It is a bit early to share my year resolutions, but I wanted to write a special blog post about this change of my perspective on life. With the Christmas holidays approaching, it is very easy to succumb to stress. For this reason, I decided to share with you my ways to prevent creating stressful situations or if they arise, how to cope with them successfully. 

Make the most of every moment.

I cannot stress the importance of this enough. Our generation seems to constantly try to achieve certain goals and do it up to a particular age as if we have an expiry date. Well this is not the case. I have realized that I need to stop wasting my time with insignificant problems and enjoy every moment to the fullest without constantly worrying about my workload and the endless agenda I need to complete. When you start enjoying every moment and be truly present, you will achieve also a clearer and more positive mindset. And this positive mindset would become one of the essential prerequisites for all the accomplishments that would come in your life. Eliminating the negative things in your life will eliminate also the bubble of negativity that holds you back.

Don’t strive for perfection.

I know you have heard that a million times but it is true – perfection does not exist. I still find it difficult to believe it because I am naturally a career-driven person who always wants to complete any task in the most perfect way. However, this year I have realized that mistakes and failures are important if you want to learn new things. This has helped me realize also that there is no such thing as a super-employee, super-girlfriend, super-daughter and a super-friend always at the same time. I had to learn how to prioritize what is the most important thing at any given time and focus my attention on it only without feeling guilty of neglecting my other tasks. This has reduced significantly my stress levels – choose what is the most important thing for you to do today and simply do it.

Don’t put additional pressure on yourself.

Our lives are already filled with too many factors that can cause stress – work environment, busy agenda, family issues, society’s expectations, life goals, etc, etc. There is really no need to add more pressure on yourself by over-complicating things and striving for that perfect image you have in your mind. The worst stress that I have experienced in my life has always been created by me and not my boss, or my boyfriend, or any other person in my life. I tend to over-complicate things and always try to do every task in the most perfect way even if that is not really expected from me. Be gentle to yourself and protect your mental health. You are the only person who has access to your own mind so guard it as your most precious possession.

Of course, as much as I try to stick to all of the above, sometimes it is very difficult even though I know what I need to do in order to preserve my mental health. Again, perfection does not exist and even I sometimes succumb to stress. The key here is not to let stress overcome you and guide your decisions. Just stop for a minute, take a deep breath, and do what you can. And remember – sometimes mistakes and failures are the most valuable lessons. 

How do you cope with stress? Let me know in the comments!

Love,

Chrisy