The Surprising Solution to Stress and Pressure

How is your pressure meter today? With the added stress of this pandemic, anxiety is going through the roof for many. Financial pressures. Scares of being infected. Shifting responsibilities. All of these things can steal our peace unless we do something so today I have a surprisingly different solution for our hectic lifestyles. 

As a single-parent, I regularly felt the stress of having too many responsibilities and not enough support. Everything fell on my shoulders so I learned to push and pressure myself to "get it all done". I've always lived by the old adage "Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today." no matter how tired or exhausted I was.

I have realized living on the rat wheel is not a healthy way to live. Contrary to what our culture tells us, the answer to all this hecticness is not to do more and do it faster. The answer is to do LESS and do it slower! Yes, SLOW DOWN AND DO LESS. Don't tell this to your boss, however. 

When we slow down, we are able to be more present. We will make fewer mistakes, think more carefully, and we will actually be more productive. We won't have to have so many do-overs. 

Slowing down also allows us to focus on how we are FEELING in any given moment. Our feelings are so often ignored and then we blow up or over-react at someone close to us. Slowing down also enables us to be more mindful of our actions, habits, and behaviors. Perhaps this is another gift of the pandemic. By making us slow down, we have a chance to reconnect with others and ourselves and that is always a good thing. 

It's funny because - as you may have noticed - God is never in a rush. His timetable is SLOW. Jesus never rushed. He was mindful of everything. Remember when the woman with the issue of blood touched his robe and amidst all those crowds, he noticed it? Slowing down allows us to notice. 

Now I am not advocating a lazy, do nothing approach to life. We are called to be responsible for ourselves so that we will not be a burden to others.  What I am saying is that it's time to take a more relaxed approach and stop pressuring ourselves needlessly. The house will get cleaned, the bills will get paid, and eventually we will go to the gym and exercise. Rather than stress, talk to yourself and remind yourself that everything will get done in its own time. As it says in the book of Ecclesiastes, "there is a time and a place for everything under the sun."

How are you feeling today?  Are the pressures of life caving in on you? 

Thought for the week

Today, I will take things slower. I will not pressure myself or others. I will do what is right in front of me and I will take regular breaks. I will not do too much in any one day and I will trust that all will be taken care of in due time. I will relax and enjoy my day. 

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Stay tuned for more positive and practical wisdom to help us all find healing, wholeness, health, and harmony. 

Until next time, keep looking up!

Ariel Paz 

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Holiday Busyness

It is November and the holidays are fast approaching. Planning the Thanksgiving menu, Xmas gift list, and deciding on which activities to say yes or no to. I am starting to feel that pressure; you know the "too much to do" pressure. I know I am not alone in this and I am determined to not let it get to me this year.

Which means, some things have to change. But first, and more importantly is understanding where this feeling is coming from. Is it perhaps from some fear of "doing everything right" which is closely related to that P word - perfectionism? I wonder. I don't consider myself a perfectionist but I do like to do the best I can at whatever I do. Is this a problem? Perhaps.

When I start to have too many things on my mind so that I feel stressed and pressured, maybe I need to ask myself that question "What would Jesus do?" Would He want me feeling stressed and pressured by a never ending To Do List? I think not. Jesus came to save us from ourselves and our constant feelings on inadequacy by showing us how much He loves us by dying on the cross, right?

There is nothing I can do to be more loved by Him or anyone else for that matter. I think my sons would rather have a healthy calm mom and fewer presents under the tree, than a mother who gets stressed out, don't you think? Of course, I am not minimizing the fact that there is a lot more to do around the holidays and the brunt of the work does fall on the woman of the house, but being the woman, I need to take charge of what I do and don't do. And replace the pressure I feel with a sense of peace and serenity, knowing and trusting that God will work everything out just as it is supposed to be.

Next time, I'll talk about what I am going to change this season and share practical tips on what to do to avoid holiday stress. Until then, keep calm and keep looking up!