Whatever kind of life you are leading, there’s no getting around stress. You are put to fighting stress in a big way – but also you have to know how to not let little things bother you. The skill to sail past little distractions unperturbed guarantees you a high level of energy. Trifling annoyances can unsettle people out of proportion and eat up lots of energy before one can realize whether they are really worth worrying over. Many of them aren’t!
If you have no control over something – accept it
So many things in life are beyond our ability to deal with them. You can’t dissolve a traffic jam on your own, can you? It really seems you will be late for where you are heading anyway.
So you have a choice of fidgeting and putting up temperature as you have to wait – or come to terms with the unfortunate situation and play some bright music.
Fact is, your bothering is futile, and you know it. Think of the ways to fill the time or take advantage of the situation to your benefit so you won’t feel it was wasted.
Check your expectations for feasibility
If you expect too much, too close to the perfect thing, any little trifles that seem to be flaws will cause irritation. Although they may not be as bad as you perceive them to be.
Why crave for the perfect when everything has its blemishes? Try and overlook them if the situation is satisfactory in general.
Find relaxation in music
When you feel overcome with negativity, one of the things that can purge your soul quickly is music. The songs from your playlist can take you out of yourself in a matter of minutes.
Control your breath
When you are annoyed, your breath must come quite fast. To tone down your annoyance, breathe more slowly and deeply. Learn a few breathing exercises for higher efficacy.
As the wind sweeps documents off your desk, and you feel like swearing out loud – make a pause and do a breathing exercise. When you feel your nerves quietening down, pick up the papers and celebrate a small (but important!) victory.
Keep your eye on perspective
The weather is all but clement, and as you arrive at your destination you find that your clothes are all muddy. It is dreadfully unpleasant, but is it as gross as it seems to be at first sight?
As a matter of fact, there is nothing that couldn’t be put right. Clothes can be cleaned later, right on the spot you can do a quick job in the washroom – and start feeling fine again in several minutes’ time.
Consider it in terms of time: this unwelcome incident will be completely out of your mind next week – so why worry about it now?
Switch your mind to other matters
There are matters that are bothersome and refuse to be driven away. As you notice that one of those captured your mind, shift your attention to other things purposefully.
You are unable to change that at the moment, and it sticks around in a highly irritating fashion. It means you are throwing away your energy unproductively instead of retaining it for a better purpose.
So it is worth your while to stifle your anger and chagrin and cast your mind forward to pleasant things you are going to do some time later.
Think grateful thoughts
Recall everything you can be grateful for. Psychologists claim that we feel better after expressing our thankfulness.
During the day, you cannot but have had something that went smoothly and satisfactorily. Regard them and forget your vexations as you are recollecting the bright spots of the day or of your life.
Put your frustrations down in writing
Why not take along a special notebook to write about things that make you fret? As you take time out to register your frustrations, you calm down and can leave them behind. Also, such a journal will help you review your worries and probably understand what may be going wrong in your life.
Absolve yourself from your oversights
Your mistakes, oversights, blunders, errors make an endless reason for self-reproach. But do you really need to get at yourself day in, day out?
You won’t ever be able to become perfect. We never have enough knowledge and abilities to create masterpieces every day. We do what we can in the best way we can.
Mistakes are meant to show us which way we need to develop. Go back in your mind and find what caused you to come out wrong-headed. Browsing on the reasons for your past decisions can result in taking more correct decisions in the future.
Be forgiving
When other people hurt you badly, it’s not easy to forgive them in a hurry. Try and put yourself in their shoes, though. Should they receive a little compassion from you, you just might get them through a demanding phase in their life. Maybe when you consider this, you might want this kind of attitude extended to yourself. Having replaced anger with empathy you give yourself the gift of calmness.
Workout
Grievances and annoyances can be very adhesive and stay around in spite of your attempts to chase them. In this case, a good workout in a gym may be the answer. Find what exercise serves the purpose best: running, bicycling, lifting weights? The trainer can help you choose the exercise that will take you out of yourself.
The skill of remaining unperturbed
In fact, it’s only natural to fulminate when worrisome factors are at work. No one can deny their anger or frustration. But when you are angry, where do you go from there? Will you allow the nuisance to spoil your day – or will you get over it and move on unburdened by hard feelings?
Don’t give a thought to how other people may judge this situation. If people choose to misunderstand your motives, they are probably not your kind of people in the first place.
Other people’s views of any given situation don’t need to mean that much to you, so there is no reason why you should accept them as grounds for your life decisions. The more unimportant other people’s opinions will be, the less you will be bothered by trifles.
Allow yourself, and only yourself, to be the captain of your life. Allow yourself to be surrounded only by people who understand and empathize. Having done away with unnecessary interference in your life you are sure to find it much, much easier.
