Stress is a natural part of life.
Without stress, we wouldn’t respond to legitimate fears correctly. Stress helps us work efficiently, boosts brain power, stimulates creativity, and keep us engaged in living life well.
But we also know how too much stress over the long term impacts our lives. We say things like, “I’m stressed out” or “I’ve had enough.” Sometimes, stress results from situations beyond our control. Other times, stress comes from own decisions.
Stop Needless Stress
One way to stop needless stress is to SLOW DOWN and remind yourself that you have all the time you need. It’s so simple.
Yet, we all fall victim to putting way too much on our plates, procrastinating to the 11th hour, and saying “yes” too often. Slowing down and giving ourselves permission to use the time needed helps us become less stressed.
No one is a superman or superwoman. We all have 24 hours in the day and while there are good tips and tricks to maximizing time, our time is still limited.
I have learned that people overestimate what they can do in a week and underestimate what they can do in a year. Part of the balance is plugging away little by little toward accomplishing your goals.
Once I was leading a seminar for other ministry leaders and kept saying, “I wish we had more time to talk about this or that.” While that seemed okay to say, a trusted friend gave me feedback later: “Did you set the schedule? Did you create the content? If so, you used the time the way you wanted. Trust your plan.
Slow Down
You have the time you need to do the important things in life. As someone once quipped, “there’s always enough time to do God’s will.”
Slowing down might mean:
- Smiling more and taking time to respond to people.
- Appreciating what you have in life and stop focusing on what you don’t have.
- Spending time on things that matter and setting aside things that don’t.
What if I can’t slow down?
There are seasons in life, for example, during the highly active parenting years, where telling someone to “slow down” seems almost cruel. Sometimes life is truly going 100 miles an hour or faster.
Do your best to remember you have all the time you need – for the important things. Slow down as you do them. Watch your work get done more effectively and your stress become more manageable.
Slow down – you have the time.
*These thoughts came from a book called Stress Free For Good by Dr. Fred Luskin and Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier.