A Funny way to Look At Stress!
I'm just going to say what we all know. Everybody’s stressed out. You, me, your neighbor, your cousin, your dog —hell, even your houseplants are probably feeling the pressure. We all get caught up in this back-and-forth infinity loop of “I have too much shit to do but I really need a break!” and then we freak ourselves out because, surprise, we can only do one damn thing at a time and get so much done in a day. Picture rush hour traffic, but it's happening inside your head, and every thought is honking at the others to move faster.
You know that feeling where you’re being yanked in a million directions, like you’re some kind of human Stretch Armstrong? That’s tension, my friend. And it doesn’t matter if it’s your job, your family, your social life, or just trying to remember to buy toilet paper—stress is stress. It all starts to blend together into this nasty tasting, anxiety smoothie. And if you start thinking, “Shit, I’m not doing any of this right.” Welcome to the club. We’ve got jackets.
So what the hell do you do about it? How do you stop your heart from pounding out of your chest and your brain from running wind sprints at 2am? Here’s what I’ve got for you:
**First up: The 105 Principle.**
Ask yourself: Five years from now, is this thing I’m losing my mind over actually going to matter? Is anyone going to give a flying fuck if you sent that email today or tomorrow? If you missed a spot mowing the lawn? If you forgot to RSVP to your cousin’s third wedding? Probably not. And even if it does matter now, a hundred years from now? We’ll all be worm food. Nobody’s going to care if you didn’t get your nails done or if you left a coffee stain on your shirt. So why are you letting it eat you alive right now?
**Second: The 2P Principle.**
Nothing is perfect. Nothing is permanent. Read that again. You’re not perfect, your boss isn’t perfect, your kids aren’t perfect, and your sweetheart's taste in music sure as hell isn’t perfect. And guess what? Nothing lasts forever. That haircut you hate? It’ll grow out. That project at work? It’ll change, or get replaced, or someone will screw it up again next week. The car you just washed? A bird’s gonna shit on it before you even get home. So stop trying to freeze time and make everything flawless. It’s not gonna happen, and you’re just making yourself miserable trying.
Here’s the bottom line: You can only do one thing at a time. You’re not an octopus. You’re not a robot. You’re a human being, and you’re allowed to fuck up, forget things, and not have your shit together 24/7. That’s life. So, practice these principles. Notice I said practice, because you’re not going to nail it every time. You’ll forget, you’ll stress, you’ll fall back into old habits. It's cool. Just try again. No matter what it is, things usually take longer than you think and since when do people hit the bullseye on the first try?
OK, that’s your pep talk for today. Think about it as you make choices...what really matters??
So, take a breath. Love somebody. Hell, love as many people as you can. And don’t forget to love yourself, too. Because at the end of the day, none of this other crap is going to matter as much as that.
So goodbye for now, I'm going to go somewhere and try to take my own damn advice. As for you, when you get a chance, maybe take a nap. You’ve earned it.
