I was chatting with my little cousin last weekend and she said she want a life without stress, she want everything to be easy, she do not want to think too much or worry about anything, she just want comfort, I then told her life does not work like that, anything worth doing will bring some level of stress, even the things we enjoy, if we choose to avoid stress completely, are we still going to achieve anything meaningful in life?
Stress is something we experience every day, waking up early for work can be stressful, going to school and writing exams can be stressful, trying to save money for the future can still be stressful even planning good things like weddings, birthdays, or vacations can come with enough stress, so stress is not always a bad thing, sometimes it pushes us to do better, it makes us stronger and teaches us how to handle challenges.
There are two kinds of stress, there is the stress that encourages you to grow, It motivates you to get things done, For example, when you study hard for an exam because you want good grades, that is positive stress, when you learn a new skill that will help your future, it may be difficult and tiring but the result is worth it, that type of stress helps you achieve your goals.
Then there is the stress that makes you feel tired, overwhelmed, and defeated, this kind of stress can affect your health and happiness, It happens when you take on too much or worry over things you cannot control, this is the type of stress we should try to reduce or avoid completely, Life is already hard, so we should not add more stress by trying to be perfect all the time.
Instead of trying to avoid stress completely, we can learn how to manage it, One important thing is to rest when we need to, taking a break does not mean you are lazy even phones need charging, If we do not rest, we can break down, also eating well, sleeping enough, and doing small enjoyable activities can help reduce stress, talking to someone you trust can also make you feel better.
Life comes with challenges and nobody has it all figured out, we all feel stressed sometimes and that is normal, what matters is how we respond to it, instead of running away from stress, we can face it with courage and wisdom, we can allow the right stress to shape us into better person and stay away from the stress that will destroys our peace.
If you are trying to achieve something great, stress will show up but do not let it stop you. As my mother will say that a comfortable life without effort may feel good at the moment but in the long run, it leads to regret, It is better to feel the stress that helps you grow than the stress that comes from doing nothing with your life.
Stress may not be our friend but it is also not always our enemy, with balance, rest, and the right mindset, we can enjoy life and still achieve our dreams.
This is my response to this episode of Hivelearners community prompt of #hl-w189e02 which the topic is tagged AVOIDING STRESS
