Do you ever feel like the girl above? Do life’s stresses get to you? Do you feel like screaming sometimes? Well, you’re not alone. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that stress and anxiety are inherently aspects of our everyday lives. These challenges are necessary and it’s how we choose to overcome them that makes all the difference. It’s how we grow.
For this week’s edition of What’s Up Wednesdays, we turn to the blogging community to see what they have to say about stress, anxiety, depression, and related circumstances that may appear to be less than pleasant on the surface. How did they deal? How would you deal?
Kathryn Vercillo can get stressed out, just like the rest of us, so she’s trying to commit to a strategy for a better life-work balance. She’s trying to take tech-free days, completely eschewing the attraction of the computer, cell phone, and even the television! While I try to avoid doing too much work on the weekends, I don’t think that I could cast my cell phone and TV aside for entire days at a time.
Damien Riley has found a natural cure for depression anxiety. The idea may have come from a pediatrician’s office, but it’s just as applicable to the adults in the audience. Overcome that depression anxiety with a hobby. Pursue something that you really love and let life’s stresses melt away, if only for a few minutes each day. Collect stamps. Learn karate. It doesn’t matter; just do something.
Bob Buskirk works from home and he’s in business for himself, so he and I share many of the same kinds of experiences. We both struggle with motivation sometimes and it can feel like we’re just running in a hamster wheel. That can be very depressing, so that’s why it’s important to set the right goals using timelines of different lengths. What do you want to accomplish today? This month? In the long term?
Jessica Gottlieb is having a reflective moment that can be quite depressing. She lost her dear friend two and a half years ago and she still misses him terribly. To make matters more complicated, she lied and she’d do it again. She told the hospital staff on that fateful day that she was the sister of the AIDS patient, because his partner of 14 years had no legal rights. The laws of gay marriage can be very painful and discriminating.
The Simple Dollar feels that it is important to save for your retirement, but there is such a thing as going too far. It is very possible to over-save for retirement. Haruki wrote in and he’s setting over 30% of his annual salary aside for retirement, quite possibly at the expense of his happiness and lifestyle today. It might sound like a good problem to have too much money upon retirement, but it has its pitfalls too. How much do you save?
Ah, stress. Yes, it has been one of those days. Worked ’til about 3:00 a.m. on a project, making some excellent headway. Then, this afternoon, found a small thing I had overlooked, which means that a good amount of work has to be redone.
I am managing the stress with a Coke. 😉
Want to relieve stress from work or other parts of your life? Here is the one solution that never fails: HAVE CHILDREN!
Your work and other parts of your life take on a whole different importance when you have children. The responsibility of taking care of another human being that depends on you for everything consumes you and will take your mind off the normal stresses of everyday life.
But that just adds a new level of stresses. 😉
I don’t think it does. While the stresses might be different, they are well worth the effort. The view changes as a parent, you focus is your family not your work or other problems. I didn’t believe it until I had 2 kids, but nothing is worth stressing over. Your family is/should be your only concern, the rest is cake.
By the same token, other stresses in life can be well-worth the effort as well. As a parent, what changes are your priorities. So, regardless of the situation, the end result is what determines whether the stress was worth it. For example, if you write a book, having the finished, published book in your hands, and hearing of people enjoying it, can make all the stress you went through in creating it worthwhile.
You also have a change of perspective, which I think may have been your point, but while that change of perspective may reduce stress in some areas, it would raise it in others. And, I would think it to be much more stressful to have to worry about providing for yourself and a family than it is to worry about yourself alone.
It all may be worth the stress, but my opinion is that it can’t be much of an overall stress reducer.
I feel it has reduced my stress level because I know what is important and don’t sweat the other stuff.
My stress may not be your stress and your stress may not be my stress. It’s as you said perspective.
Man you have the best theme! Wouldn’t you agree that in and of itself relieves stress? Thanks for the mention my friend.