Guest Post: “I’m Really Good At Stress”

by

I don’t know about you but I’m really good at stress!

I can stress myself out any time I like.

All I have to do is play the tape of all my ‘what ifs’

What if the fibromyalgia comes back again and I can’t walk or use my hands?

What if I don’t earn enough to pay the bills?

What if one of the breast lumps I’ve had on and off all my life turns out to be cancerous?

What if the doctor makes a mistake and tells me it’s not cancer and then it’s too late for treatment?

I play these tapes (and just a few others!) and I rehearse what I will do if/when these awful things happen. At this point, I’m sure I have all those nasty chemicals coursing through my system going ‘way-hey’ and ‘we’re on a roll here folks!’ Then I worry about the damage I am doing to myself by giving the nasty stuff a free ride in my blood stream!

The only way I know how to stop this avalanche of stress in myself is to make a decision to come out of tomorrow and Be Right here, Right now

First, I take a deep breath. Then I look around the room. I really take in the fact that I am here. In spite of all the challenges I have experienced in my life and all the times I thought I wouldn’t make it. I am really here.

Right here! And right here, right now, the bills are paid. The lump I grew last month is almost gone. Today, I have no trouble walking or using the computer. I allow myself to savour the reality of today, the goodness of today. I actively seek out the beauty in my day. The pleasure of hot water for a shower at the flick of a switch! The colours of the trees and the mountain through my window! The smell of my morning coffee in my favourite mug! I could go on but I think you get the picture.

I used to think that if I rehearsed all the possible bad things that somehow my rehearsal would protect me from them.

But I learned the hard way that this isn’t so.

Maybe one day, trouble will find me once again but if it does I will have as many stress-free days in the bank as I can.

If you would like some help in paying attention to the good stuff you can find my Happiness Book here to download today.

About the author

Martine loves genealogy, writing, knitting, baking and social justice, not necessarily in that order! She has been recently shortlisted for the Blog Awards Ireland 2012 and can be found at http://www.martinebrennan.com/