This morning, we went down to the new property; we hadn't been there in quite awhile and were very disappointed to discover that very little has been done. My stress level began to rise.
We have 33 days 'till closing. 33, that's all. It's on our contract with the builder. He's very much aware of it, but has a commitment in Haiti for missionary work, and is leaving on Thursday for 10 days. That's 10 days when nothing will be done on the new house. Oh yeah, I'm stressed. You bet.
I talked to his wife about this the other day, mentioning the fact that we can ill afford to have the work come to a screeching halt while he's away. She told me he has hired a crew to install the flooring while he's gone (he was intending to do it himself.)
I was pacified -- until we got to the property this morning. There is no way the house will be done in time!
I reached for the broom and began sweeping the house out, as I do each weekend, aware of the fact that I was pressing too hard and the brushes were smashing the floor. I could hear myself mumbling, not too softly, "he's got 33 days; I am going to hold him to the terms of the contract, he's gonna have to work damn hard when he gets back from his missionary work, DAMN hard, to finish this mess."
He hired a finish carpenter to do all the mouldings on the floor and ceiling, but nothing's been done since last week. There was a little wood shavings around his workbench upstairs, but not enough to warrant my sweeping up there. My stress began to get worse; my sweatband was struggling to hold all the moisture dripping from my head, I could feel my blood boiling....
I drove back home with hubby, who had wanted to stop by the lake, but I snapped at him, "what's the point!?" and continued driving. He said nothing. I said nothing. By the time we got home, I was boiling.
I came online and found an e-mail from an online self-help group to which I subscribe. Today's newsletter was most timely: "How Stress Limits You." I printed it out and read it, and been concentrating on doing what it said -- focusing on TODAY, not tomorrow -- and I feel soooo much better. I'd like to share some of the article with you:
Quote:
"Stress is the by--product of thoughts. These thoughts that cause stress fit into 2 categories: (1) they are thoughts related to an event that has already taken place (the past), and (2) they are thoughts that relate to a situation or event that may or may not take place (the future).
"If your mind is not in the present moment, if your thoughts are not in the prevent moment, then you are sure to experience stress and anxiety.
"Your mind is not where it should be -- in the present moment -- and your subconscious is only getting more confused because it is trying to create opportunities for you in the present moment -- but you're not there -- so you can't see them. Then you get angry or frustrated because things don't improve. But you're not there anyway, so even if they did improve, you wouldn't know.
"Shift your thoughts to focus on what you want, what is happening now and focus on all the positive aspects that are taking place in your life right now. If you're not doing this, then you're not living; you're simply wasting time stressing out and filling your life with anxiety.
"Lets face it -- if you live in the past or the future, if you constantly think about the past or the future, then you are going to be continuously stressed out. The key is to start focusing on the present moment -- which we are constantly experiencing and which is always changing.
"The events that cause stress all have one thing in common: you have to think about those events. If you don't think about them, you eliminate stress. It is the single act of thinking about them and not the present that causes stress. At this point, right now, only the present moment exists. The past, which consists of events that have already occurred, no longer exists; it's over. The future, which consists of events that have yet to take place and is undetermined, does not exist; it hasn't happened and may not happen -- so why worry about it?
"The key to eliminating your stress and anxiety is to re-direct your thoughts. Once you focus on the present moment, your mind can no longer think about the past or worry about the future. When this happens, you are no longer a slave to the mind, you are no longer a slave to the past, and you are no longer a slave to the uncertainty of the future. Instead, you become the master of the present moment, and if you can master each day, you'll never have stress, fear or anxiety."
Interesting stuff, eh?
Ahlmmmmmmmmmmm.............
Bev 
--------------------
<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
Stress: Getting It Under Control
