Stress

Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons

This week was the first time in several years that I have experienced significant stress in my life. Just when I thought I had risen above it, it came back to bite me. As I have mentioned in earlier blogs, I went through a period in my life where I experienced such severe stress that I would get sick several times a week. I have been fortunate to get control of it. As each year has passed, I have gotten better at managing stress. This past week has been a test and although it wasn’t as severe as what I dealt with earlier in life, it definitely woke me up to the fact that I haven’t totally overcome all of my challenges.

I made a decision to put an offer on a new place before selling my existing house. The new place will require extensive work. It’s essentially a complete remodel. It looks like it will end up taking more time and costing more money then I anticipated. As I got this news from contractors, the listing agent for my existing house told me that the market has been softening in my area and as the people start to leave Florida for the season, I should understand that it could take quite a while for my house to sell. Unfortunately, I have done what they always tell you not to do in real estate, I let myself get emotionally attached to a property.

When I look at the cause of my stress earlier in life, it had to do with focusing on the worst possible scenario in a given situation. Once this thought was in my mind, I couldn’t shake it. While I know that the worst scenario in any situation rarely plays out, somehow the logical side of me lost out to the irrational side.

So now I face a challenge. Can I practice what I preach and utilize the stress management tools I have adopted, or will I fall prey to irrational emotions that plagued me earlier in life? As I write this I am rising to the challenge. It’s time for me face this head on and not let the irrational side win.

My takeaway for this week is simple. Life will continue to test us. When you overcome one hurdle another will drop in front of you. We must maintain our balance. In my case it means keeping my defense in place by maintaining the proper perspective. That perspective comes through disconnecting every day though meditation, focusing on the positive things around me, and knowing that things will work out.

If you have faced similar challenges in your life and experienced success. Please share your story with me at [email protected].