Undress the Stress: Days 39-41

Once again, gotta write the weekend blogs on a Sunday night.

Day 39 was very stress free and awesome!  I woke up early to volunteer at a soup kitchen called the Mary Brennen Inn.  It was such a great atmosphere there, and once again I realize how lucky I am after working with people less fortunate than I.

I helped out in their food pantry, which was basically a small room with shelves full of canned goods, snacks, cereal, soups–a mini grocery, if you will.  Each person receives one plastic bag to go “shopping” in and they can take certain amounts of food from each shelf and fill up their bags.  It was difficult to limit them because they would shamelessly beg for one more can of Spam or Tuna and I couldn’t help but feel bad that I had to say no.

That was the only part that I would say was stressful.  A few people would come in and they would all be standing in front of one shelf fighting for the same thing and trying to take more than they were allowed.  It was hard to pay attention to all of them and watch how many they were each taking, but I got better at that as time went on.  That specific stressor was easy to handle.

I also helped hand out the hot meals–we served 300 people that day!  That was a high head count from what I inferred from The Inn’s regular volunteers.  Then, we spent some time restocking the pantry because it would reopen at 2 pm.  And finally, we cleaned the cafeteria area.

Seeing families who depend completely on The Inn for their meals, clothes, bathroom facilities, etc. was another eye opening experience.  I just couldn’t imagine what it would be like.

That night I somehow got free tickets from a girl I sit next to in one of my classes to see Carrie Underwood.  It was a great, stress-free night!  And it was a pleasant surprise to find that Hunter Hayes was the opening act.  I’ve been listening to him for well over a year now and it was nice to see him on a such a big tour.

PS – How cool is this hot air balloon contraption that Carrie Underwood had during her set?!  Amazing.

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Day 40!  I refuse to believe I actually kept up with this series for that many days.  I impress myself sometimes.

I went to bed at 11:59 on Friday night, and SLEPT IN for the first time in God knows how long.  Not setting an alarm is probably one of my favorite feelings.  I forgot what that was like until this weekend.

The only stressful part of my day was scheduling my time.  I wanted to go to my friend’s dance show at 2 and another friend’s concert at 4, but I also had to pick up my old roommate from the train station because she was coming to visit for the night.  I ended up picking up another friend at 1 from C.W. Post after she took her LSATs, going out to lunch, doing some homework, and then heading to the train station.

After that, there was much less stress and much more alcohol involved.  We had such a fun reunion!

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Today was also relaxed, which I am grateful for.

We woke up and had breakfast.  I just got excited to have breakfast tomorrow after writing that sentence…  Is it 10 am yet?!

I went to the matinee show of the dance concert and it was very impressive!  I liked this semester’s production better than last.  For some reason, the spring show had a ton of creepy songs that I didn’t enjoy.  This one was much more enjoyable.

The most stressful part of this day was actually when my building had a fire drill and I had to be outside for ten minutes.  When I complain about little things like that, I know that I deserve a slap in the face.  Some people have stressors that are worlds bigger than having a fire drill on a Sunday evening…

One of the ways that I’ve decided to deal with stress is, plainly and simply, to recognize that whatever it is, it’s not that big of a deal.  At least most of the time.  If I’m two minutes late to something, it will be okay.  If I miss a homework assignment, my life is still the same.

I just want to be more conscious of the stresses that are happening by knowing that so many more people out there face life-or-death situations and stresses every single day, while I complain about not having enough time to go to dance shows and concerts.

It’s helpful if we can see situations according to how much impact it will make in our lives.  It would make sense to stress about certain things, but not all.

 

 

 

Undress the Stress: Day 24

I forgot to blog last night because I just really wanted to go to sleep…

So now let me tell you what stressed me out yesterday.

NOTHING!

Somehow I went through an entire day without feeling stressed or worried.  I doubt that most people have ever experienced a completely stress-free day while they aren’t on vacation.  And I think I have this blog series to owe for that wonder.  By keeping track of the stressors in my life for the last 3 or so weeks, I’ve found patterns.  I know what stresses  me out, how I deal with it, and what I can do to de-stress.

Most people stress and they don’t know why, and I would absolutely recommend this process for them, and everyone else.  Finding the root of the problem is the first step in fixing it.  Having somewhere to go to and rant is also an effective way to express yourself.  Taking a few minutes to reflect on your day is extremely productive but it only works if you get into the habit.  It’s not something you can do at your leisure.  If you want to find the stressors and get rid of them, you have to commit.  Not forever, but as long as it takes.

It finally feels like I’m making progress in “undressing” my stresses.  I’ve learned so much about myself by reading my own blogs.  Some common stressors that I’ve found include money, relationships, and deadlines.  It’s nice to know how I can cushion the blow of incoming stresses since I know what to expect from myself.

I can only cross my fingers and hope that stress will stop choosing me as its victim now that I refuse to feel its presence.

In the words of Jason Mraz, “You don’t need a vacation when there’s nothing to escape from.”

Undress the Stress: Day 15

I can’t say I felt very stressed today.  Actually, looking back I don’t think I felt stressed at all.  What a beautiful thought.

I started my day as usual–stretching and meditating.  It’s amazing how much this daily routine makes me so significantly less stressed than my collegemates.  I walk around campus and everyone is uncontrollably freaking out about exams and work and while I’m under the same pressures, I think I have a much calmer attitude.  There’s no denying that I have stress too.  (I mean, just look at this blog series…) The difference is that I don’t allow the little things to stress me anymore.  Hands down one of the best life choices I’ve ever made.

• To be completely honest, the only time I felt stressed today was right before my Spanish class when I was having dinner with a friend and the line was taking FOREVER and I thought I was going to be late.  That was just about it.  To rid myself of this stress, I just upped my patience a little bit and before I knew it, I was done with my cheeseburger and happily on my way to class.

So, am I making progress?  I’d like to think so.  There wasn’t much stress to undress today, and I can’t say I’m disappointed.  This is how it should be on the daily and not just for me, but for everyone.  I just don’t believe that excessive worrying was part of the agenda when life was created.  Today (in my stress management class actually) I was thinking about how much less stressed Adam and Eve were back in the day.

Think about it.  There were no social institutions like government or school.  There wasn’t much of an economy–definitely not like ours today.  And there was no pop culture or capitalism.  Everything I just named are the major reasons that I believe we are stressed.  Do well in school.  Make a lot of money.  Be beautiful.  Change the world.  All are messages sent to us by the above.

Well, Adam and Eve didn’t have these stressors.  They didn’t carry the burdens of competition in the marketplace or the classroom.  Their lives were so simple compared to ours, and the argument I’m trying to make is that there is absolutely no reason that we should be more stressed than they were.  And my proposition is this: when you feel stressed, put yourself in Adam or Eve’s shoes (or probably lack of).  Think about whether or not you would feel this pressure if you were in Adam and Eve’s time.  Probably not right?

Life was not meant to stress you out.  It’s meant to be enjoyed and cherished, not destroyed and perished.  

In short, undress the stress.  Let it go.  And you are well on your way to immunization.

Every day, I read excerpts and lines from the book “8,789 Words of Wisdom” by Barbara Ann Kipfer.  Here’s what I liked today: