Pretty much everyone is feeling some kind of stress these days. The economy, the soaring price of gas and food, home values plummeting, the credit crisis, loss of jobs, education budget cuts, the war, the election, more bills than income, you name it. Some people are suffering worse than others but we're all feeling some kind of seemingly insurmountable stress. When you find yourself in your personal nightmare, what can you do?
First, take stock. This will pass. Maybe not immediately and maybe not for some time, but take heart that previous generations have gone through similar and worse difficulties and survived. You will too.
Think of the 1929 stock market crash and the World War Two era. If you have no knowledge of these times, find someone elderly and ask about what it was like to live through those times. You will hear stories that will make our current circumstances almost laughable. And if you don't have an elder to consult, go to your local library and check out a history book on those dark days.
The good news is that most people come out of stressful times stronger with a better perspective on what it takes to survive. Let's face it; we've had it pretty good the last few years. Nevertheless these are tough times for us. So what can you do to get through this?
This morning I read an interview with actress Anne Hathaway. Normally I could care less about the Hollywood types but this young woman has an extremely healthy outlook on life and said a couple of things that resonated with me.
First, in speaking about a string of personal troubles she recently experienced she stated, "The worst thing that happens to you can be the best thing for you, if you don't let it get the best of you." Her second statement was so simple it was inspiring: "Choose joy."
Anne Hathaway was obviously referring to something I hold dear in my heart, that life is a journey, not the destination. None of us gets out of this journey alive so we might as well not just make the best of it, but enjoy it. None of us knows if we will get a second chance.
Okay, so you've got the attitude thing imbedded in your brain but you're still feeling anxious. Is there anything you can do to calm your nerves? You bet. Do something that makes you deliriously happy. Perhaps an activity that you loved as a child, when life was easier. In other words, choose joy.
Whenever I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders I head for the kitchen. Nothing calms my nerves more than baking, bread in particular. I learned to bake bread when I was 13 and it has often helped me through rough times. The act of pulling together the ingredients, as people have done for millennia and kneading the living daylights out of the dough helps expel whatever sorrows have built up in my soul. If I don't have time to bake bread I make cookies or brownies or pie or a cobbler. Baked goods take me back to kinder times and make me feel that my time on earth is meaningful.
If you have never baked bread you might give it a try. It is truly cathartic. But if trying something new seems like it would be more stressful than relaxing, reach deep into your mind and rediscover something you loved as a child and go do it. Choose joy.
