. . . but don’t forget you’re blessed! If you’re reading this that means you have breath in your body, which means you have a purpose, even if you currently reside in a world of the unknown.

Stress, if I had a dollar for every time I used that word to describe myself and my life, drinks would be on me.

According to Medline Plus , stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension, which can come from any event or thought that makes or makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous. We can all agree that you’re stressed, I’m stressed, your boss is stressed, and the person that just honked at you in 5 o’clock traffic is stressed. Why? Why are we stressed? How do we stop stressing?

First, let’s figure out why we’re stressed out. The American Institute of Stress claims the top reasons for stress include work pressure, money, health, relationships, poor nutrition, and sleep deprivation. Logically, the first step is to fix what we can control.

Sometimes, not always, we are the reason we aren’t sleeping enough, eating well, in destructive relationships, or financially out-of-tune. Yes, there are multiple situations we cannot control, but let’s address the ones we can and help ourselves out!

First, it is important to acknowledge if we are stressed at an unhealthy level. Stress and anxiety are two words commonly used interchangeably. Stress is often a short term effect that is the response to an assumed threat, whereas the reason for anxiety is often broad or uneasy to locate and tends to stay longer than stress (Green and Rhodes).

It is important to take stress seriously because if left unaddressed it can begin to negatively affect the body on a larger scale. Everyone is different, so all of our approaches to managing stress will look different (and that’s okay). Try different ways to relieve stress and find what works best for you.

Some solutions for easing stress include:

• #letitout and talk to someone

Talking through your stress with someone, whether a professional or trusted individual, can help you verbally release stress and potentially help you compartmentalize your stressors, which can help you create a plan for eliminating your unneeded and harmful stress.

• Get up and move!

According to the ADAA, physical activity produces endorphins, chemicals in the brain that act as natural pain killers that make it easier to sleep, which is a crucial element when reducing stress.

• Catch your Z’s

APA claims that a lack of sleep can lead to an alteration in mood, judgement and memory because sleep is a prime time for the body to repair physically and mentally. Try weighted blankets , which use DTP (Deep Touch Pressure) science, if you want to level up your sleep experience.

• Check out natural remedies

CBD, a cannabinoid, is a hot-market-item right now that is currently being researched and has shown promise of being a sleep aid and anxiety/pain reducer. There is also plenty of ways to consume CBD, so everyone can find a way that works best for them.

So, if we have control over some of what makes us stressed, how do we handle what we cannot control? The same way you arrived where you are today, you just keep swimming. Remember that what is not in your control will happen regardless of your stress.

WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS:THEY BECOME WORDS. WATCH YOUR WORDS: THEY BECOME ACTIONS. WATCH YOUR ACTIONS: THEY BECOME HABITS. WATCH YOUR HABITS: THEY BECOME YOUR CHARACTER. WATCH YOUR CHARACTER: IT BECOMES YOUR DESTINY.

-FRANK OUTLAW

You may look around, scroll on instagram, talk to relatives and convince yourself that you are a “mess” (me too) but, we have to remember our job is not to be perfect or to be exactly like the person next to us, it is simply to be ourselves in our truest and honest form.

This is your day, your month, and your year! Do not let stress control you. Find your peace and remember we are all a mess in some way, but that is the beauty of what we call life.

xoxo