Seasons of Stress

I’m in a time of change, now and over the last couple months. Change brings stress. Forming a business, office space, website, liability insurance, HIPAA compliance, and tax questions are a few of the details needing attention. It takes time for things to unfold, and most things are dependent on something else. 

Stress is real. It consumes thoughts, heightens emotions, disrupts sleep, shortens the breath, and causes stomach problems. Basically, all the indicators that relaxation is needed, and yet all the things that make relaxation more challenging. 

I’m on the other side of the worst part, I think. Sleep seems to have returned to normal, and my stomach has stopped hurting.

The reality is that this has been really good for me. It keeps me humble. It heightens my compassion for people struggling with their marriage, finances, health, kids and extended family, addictions and depression.

In the midst of it, all the things I knew to be true slipped away. Jeff asked me, “What would you say to yourself if you came to you for counseling?” It’s a good question that helped but slightly ticked me off. 

Yeah, I get it. I am being proactive on the things I can get done, I recognize what things can’t be controlled, but I was missing the serenity to accept the things yet to be determined. Knowing that didn’t make the feelings go away. The more I tried to make the feelings of stress go away, the more stress I felt.

There’s a lot of change, and a lot of unknown factors, so expecting that I won’t feel stress is unrealistic. The best thing I can do is accept that it’s a season of stress. It really helps to stop fighting reality.

Exercise. Eat well. Go to bed. Create space in the early morning for solitude and quiet. Breathe deeply and slowly to slow down the mind. Do what you can.

Accept that it’s a season of stress. It just is.