Welcome back to 31 Days to Less Stress! I hope I hope you’ve been thinking about how you spend your time each day. This is key to reducing stress.
Today, I want to focus on sources of stress. Another key to decreasing stress is to know what causes it. As with yesterday, I want you to take out a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side, write “Stress I Can Control” and on the other side write “Stress I Can’t Control.” Take some time to down all the things you can think of that cause you stress and write them under one of the two categories.
If you’re like me, it can be hard to admit when there are things I can’t control (a.k.a. “control freak”). There are many things we cannot control – a family member who is ill, a young child that requires lots of attention, and many other reasons. These are situations that we cannot change. What we can change is our attitude towards them.
Now take a look at the list of things you can control. What needs to change? Maybe yesterday’s activity already addressed some of the issues. What other things need to work better for you to be less stressed. Do you need better planning? Do you need to delegate more? Do you need to let some things go?
It’s likely that these lists yesterday and today may be stressful for you now, but the point is really to take inventory of where you are, to realize where you want to be, to note the obstacles and create an action plan to pursue change.
First, I would like you to take a few minutes to pray. Ask God to show you what’s really important and to help you make the changes needed to live a life with less stress, able to feel joy and embrace the life that God has planned for you. Ask for the courage to handle the things you cannot change and to approach them with a positive attitude.
Take some time today just to breathe, knowing that change is in the air, and it’s going to be good!
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