by: Kenneth Cossin

Do you ever notice that as each year passes, the more stressful that life is?  Why is that?  Well, let us stop to consider why stress continues to creep into our lives without our permission.  I offer five ideas that can help you halt this intrusion of stress and turn it into success.

1. Let it Go

First off, stop trying to control every aspect of every detail of everything around you.  Let’s say that your friend is consistently late to events.  Do you call them or text them to find out where they are all the time?  Allow the people with whom you surround yourself to grow and flourish in their own way.  These words are simple to say to oneself but difficult to put into practice.

2. Over Consumption

Why do we feel the need not only know about what is going on all around us, but we also feel an overwhelming desire to consume it?  As Americans, it is part of our culture.  We’re taught that being a “Have” is better than being a “Have Not.”

We’re flooded with information from every direction, and we feel that we need to know it before the next guy learns about it.  As Americans, aren’t we supposed to be leaders, and aren’t we supposed to be the word’s leading capitalistic society?  Maybe, but there are many things that we are “supposed” to be, but to what end?  Just some food for thought.

3. Disrespect

We just need to stop for a moment and think about our day to understand this point.  How many times a day do you feel disrespected by friends, family, coworkers, and strangers?  I bet you can think of more than a handful of events that occur to you throughout the course of a day.

But do you consider whether or not you’re disrespecting others yourself?  Thus, are you inviting the disrespect onto yourself?  Understand that we cannot all have perfect days and perfect moods.  But we can always try to not misdirect our anger toward others thereby affecting their mood.

What if we were to do something good for someone else instead?  It not only makes that person feel good, but it also makes you feel good.  A sense of fulfillment and joy will be shared between you and the other person, and hopefully, passed along.

4. Loneliness

Often, when we have difficulties in our lives and seemingly insurmountable problems that we cannot control, we feel a sense of loneliness.  I would have to say, rightfully so!  Even when we know others that have been though the same thing that we are going through, each situation is ever so different.  So, allow yourself to discover those around you that exude positive energy and happiness.   Soon, you too, can help lessen your feeling of being alone.

5. Extended Family

Remember that friends can also be our extended family.  The offer an objective view of the things around us.  They also provide us with distraction from our stress and everyday life.

So, let’s reevaluate ourselves and consider implementing some of these ideas into our daily lives.  We may just find ourselves smiling because we are not only less stressed, but also we are happy, content, or fulfilled.