"Worrying won't stop the bad things from happening, it
just stops you from enjoying the good." –Unknown
I
came to realise today after many weeks of inner turmoil and struggle that I
cannot control everything that is happening within my life and that sometimes
you have to give in to the natural forces of nature and stop, slow down and
breath for a moment. Take some time to re-evaluate your life. Rather than continuing on, struggling to deliver what I believe to be a less than below par level of work and performance, I must focus on what is important and prioritise in order to attain the best results I am realistically able to produce at this moment in time.
We’ve
all experienced difficulties, hardship and stressful events, and they may have had a positive or negative influence on our actions and decisions. At the moment, I have been experiencing a particularly
difficult period where I have tried to maintain a certain air of normality and
continue on to the best of my efforts. However, as much as I try, I have
reached a point where the psychological has influenced the physical and I
realise I am not doing myself any favours. The recent experience of my recent micro-teach session has taught me that, a lesson I have duly noted and paid heed to.
We
are warned constantly about the dangers of stress, the silent killer, its
prolonged effects and how to recognise the symptoms, but how well do we
actually listen to what our bodies are actually telling us? Far too often we
ignore the obvious signs and flippantly disregard the evidence that all is not
well, until a time when suddenly, it’s too late. As a student, parent or
employee, we are all prone to succumbing to the hidden pressures of everyday modern
living. Throw in an unexpected event and the whole house of cards teeters and
may threaten to topple at any moment.
So
how do we combat such an prominent adversary? What weapons do we employ to
defeat this unrelentless and powerful foe? Well, admitting that it is a
problem is a start, sharing and talking about what is happening, perhaps within a
professional and structured counselling environment can certainly help to
identify positive steps one can take to initiate the changes needed to return
life to normal.
Then
of course there’s medication, quick and effective methods of pharmaceutically altering the destructive chemical imbalances within the brain and body to
restore homeostasis within. Not always popular, but certainly an option. Then
there are things like adopting the Mindfulness approach where one attempts to achieve
a mental state by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly
acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
For
the moment I have to reflect, adapt and initiate some changes. I am committed to finishing this course, there is no question of that and yet I must acknowledge that there may be a few tough challenges ahead. I must not
however, see it as any sort of weakness or defeat on my part. Having the belief
in oneself to overcome life’s difficulties is after all one of humanities
greatest achievements and in itself can be a powerful weapon to be wielded in the battle against stress and its causes.
Maybe I'll just sit on the beach and think about things for a while and ponder...
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