Hello! I am on a mindful essay topic kick evidently because today, I want to talk about stress. Is all stress bad? Is it bad for us to be under pressure? You put your body through stress when you're working out to get stronger. Throw some beef, vegetables and beef broth in a pressure cooker and it comes out delicious! And it certainly works for coal... but does the same go for everyday life stress?
Growth
Just like with muscle mass in the gym, I believe that stress in life helps us grow as individuals. Without stress, we would never learn how to adapt. I think being able to adapt is a GREAT attribute. I feel it is essential if you want to have a successful life. People who have a difficult time adapting to different environments often don't flourish and have to find something that fits them. Don't get me wrong, if things aren't working out and you need to leave the situation, by all means, get out of there! But I do think it should be after making a real effort to adapt to the stress. After all, it could be teaching you new skills that you'd never learn otherwise.
Sets An Example For Others
When other people see how you handle stress, they could be learning from you. We are role models, whether we know it or not. You never know who's watching. Someone at work, someone at the DMV, or someone you're walking by in the grocery store. It's crowded, you're probably hungry, and you've just come upon a very crowded pasta sauce aisle (this could be Trader Joe's). Do you grumble about how it's always chaotic in this place, or do you patiently wait and maybe even scoot out of the way for someone else to get through because they actually only need the one thing you're standing in front of? This stuff seems small and maybe insignificant, but I think it's much more than that. I think that someone else, maybe a very impressionable teenager, or an older adult who was starting to doubt all humanity, needed to see that example of handling a stressful situation.
We could easily change this to something a little more stressful, and I think it still remains true. People are watching you and you could be the example for them.
Sets An Example For Yourself
Okay, so this is sort of abstract, but hang in there with me. I think about times that I have goofed up a lot. Why did I do that? Or, why didn't I just do this? Occasionally, I do know when I have handled something well, but there are definitely times when I have completely fallen apart. Whether it's a disgruntled customer and employee, or a family emergency, I can always learn from my experience. I can "take notes" from what I did or did not do, say or did not say and use them for the next inevitable stressful situation.
I don't believe there is a way to avoid stress. If there is, PLEASE tell me. Life will be crazy, happy, sad, tiring, and all kinds of other things for us. All we can do is control how we deal with it. I will leave you with this thought; stress can teach us grace- and grace is very rare. After all, diamonds are made under pressure. 💎
Good word.
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