I am no expert on stress but I know too much can be bad for anyone. It causes headaches, muscle tension or pain, chest pain and sleep problems. These are just some of the physical affects that stress does to us. It also affects our mood and behavior. Stress often causes us to have anxiety, lack of motivation and/or focus, feeling overwhelmed. And it can cause us to over or under eat, have angry outbursts, drug and/or alcohol abuse and socially withdraw. This is what the monster of stress does to us. How do we combat or relieve stress? I suggest doing something you enjoy that makes you laugh hysterically, or smile from ear to ear.

For me, I may just yell something really silly at the top of my lungs like…”I LOVE PICKLES or I AM A BANANA, SO EVERYONE DO THE BANANA DANCE”! Just be you and do what feels right to your soul. This can also apply to other areas of your life such as studying for a upcoming quiz or the dreaded final exam. Try these silly but effective ideals to use. Life is full of stressful surprises and events. I get that these techniques may not the best fit everyone. I encourage you to explore what may work for you and your situation. You can combine different coping skills to for various situations.

I am thankful that I have had the support of my friends and my church throughout this stressful period of uncertainty. I have done the things that I have learned over the years to ensure that I was putting my best foot forward to obtain employment. My support system was there to keep me motivated and uplifted. They helped me to not worry about my finances and that God would cover me. I continued to pray about my situation. I also continue to utilize the people around me for emotional support and guidance too. During this time I learned to worry less and have patience. I learned that there is a perfect job out there for me.  I have also learned to keep the faith and let God handle things that I don’t have control over.  This new way of handling stress keeps me in a positive state of mind, which ultimately helps me stay stress free.