"Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. There's going to be stress in life, but it's your choice whether you let it affect you or not." ~Valerie Bertinelli
My cousin always tells me things happen how they are supposed to. I believe that's true. Things happen for a reason, and because they do, I’ve often contemplated what “the big picture is.” I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll never know what the Big Plan is from the Person Upstairs. So I sit back and let it all play out.
Sometimes life throws us a curve, and we must face them as best as possible. Without the curves, we’d never recognize the beauty. Yet the curves can be tough ones to handle. They can make us feel sad, anxious, or fearful. We can feel lost in their midst and reach around to find some solid footing again.
Our spirit is tested during times of adversity. Will we wither and spin out of control or rely on our inner strength to pull us through?
Here are some ways I've found to help me during difficult and stressful times:
How do you handle stress and the challenges in your life?
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This is a wonderful article with so much wise advice. Love the Utube too!
Great tips. I tend to stew... Well, it looks like I'm stewing, but I'm really praying. I also like to get outside, walk my dogs, and rock (and stew) on my rocker on the back deck overlooking the pines filled with squirrels and birds.
PS: Every time I come here I don't want to just FEED your fish, I want to STEAL them for my own blog. But I won't... because I don't have room. But I do adore the little fellas. 😀
Good to have ways to let go of the stress and embrace life!
Those are such great tips for handling and dealing with stressful times. Thanks for sharing!!! 🙂
Cathy, yes, life certainly does throw curve balls our way, and often when they are least expected. How we deal with them speaks volumes about our outlook and survival skills. My biggest respite has always been my furry critter family. No question. Still working on the meditation part (damn if patience is a required skill) and will master it ... any day not. Enjoyed the read!
Such a great reminder of things we can do to try to keep our stress levels down and cope with challenges we face. I've got some tips from Harvard Dr. Jeffrey Brown on how to also handle menopause stress - definitely one of our big midwife challenges! http://www.shmirshky.com/menopause-blog/2013/04/08/menopause-stress/ .... thanks, Cathy!
What a great post! The quote is marvelous - I'm going to pass that along. Throughout my life, I've used all of those methods as a means of reducing stress. The only one I have a hard time with is meditation; I have a really hard time getting my mind to quiet. Another method I use is gardening. I can totally find my Zen place amid the blooms, leaves, dirt, and even the weeds. 🙂
When I'm stressed I try to do things for myself, such as going to the cinema, to the theatre, for a walk, swimming, meeting some friend. I also write and spend some time with my cat!
Gosh, Cathy...your list sounds just like mine...we draw on so many of the same sources for inner strength in face of our illness. The only thing is I don't have a pet, but that is why I love the time I spend with sister's new puppy. I cuddle Kizzie when I am in the states and there is no better therapy.