I know, it’s trite, but sometimes we all feel like life is caving in on us and we have a couple of options…
We can give in to the stress and be miserable
We can change our mindset
Life is just too short to spend time worrying and stressing over little things that don’t really matter in the long run. Frankly, stressing out over little stuff is one of the biggest ways to bring unnecessary grief into your life. We can all avoid a lot of our negative feelings, and even health problems, simply by learning not to let the little things get to us. Here are my tips for keeping COOL and not sweating the little things in life:
Focus on the Big Picture
When something small happens that makes you want to go off the deep end, compare the importance of it to everything else going on in your life, and in the world around you. You may have spilled your cake batter on the floor an hour before your guests are due to arrive, but you know that your friends are still going to love you and enjoy the evening even if you don’t have a freshly baked cake for them. Besides, they’ll have NO idea that you were even planning on serving cake (go out and buy a half gallon of ice cream and some raspberries to top it and they’ll be just as happy).
We All Make Mistakes
When something small threatens to destroy your attitude and positive outlook, just remember that everyone makes mistakes. Whether it is yourself or someone else who caused a train wreck, keep in mind that mistakes are a normal part of life that happen to everyone. Don’t let one bad moment ruin an entire day.
Forgive Others
It can be hard to forgive someone else when it feels like they have done something that really hurts you. When someone rear ends your vehicle, you may be tempted to lash out at them verbally (this happened last week to my daughter-in-law). However, stop and think about how it may feel to be in their situation. Don’t act and feel as though you have never made a mistake. By being empathetic, you’ll make the situation much better.
I know that for myself, forgiving others can be easier than forgiving myself. If you’re like me, you tend to be harder on yourself. If you are having a difficult time forgiving yourself, think of how you would handle a similar mistake made by a good friend. Stop and think before beating yourself up. No one is perfect (no, not even me).
Will it matter in 5-10-15 years?
We all have problems, and sometimes they seem insurmountable (did I spell that right???). Perception is not always reality, though, and it is up to us to put things into perspective. My favorite tool is to stop and think…will this make a difference in 10 years? Will I even REMEMBER what happened 5 years from now? Will I be telling this story and LAUGHING in 15 years?
Save your emotions for things that are life changing
When something goes wrong, you have two choices. You can slip into a rage, or let it go. Making the choice not to sweat the small stuff will bring you life-changing happiness, and wouldn’t you rather be happy than miserable?
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