Stressed Out? Lighten Up

Are you a stressed out person?

Are you running around all the time, doing too many things in a day? Do you feel like you need more down time? It’s time to relax. Don’t take life so seriously. Lighten up a bit.

It’s important to give yourself time to relax and unwind. Life can be hectic and busy, but here’s what you need to remember: you have to take time for yourself, recognize when you need to have downtime and give yourself permission to relax.

You’re more fun to be around when you feel relaxed. I promise.

Have you ever lost your patience or snapped at someone, not because what they did really justified your response, but because you were feeling stressed out? We’ve all done it. It’s normal.

The key is: recognize when you feel overwhelmed, give yourself time to regroup and relax.

The other day, I was in line at a grocery store. It was a busy time of day and the line was particularly long. Anyone going to a grocery store during rush hour should know it’s going to be busy. The person in front of me kept looking at his watch. He kept making sounds. He kept looking around and shaking his head. He could have started making me anxious, if I’d let him, but I tried to observe how he was acting instead of buying into it. He was obviously annoyed the line was long and he was having to wait.

It was quite entertaining for me to get to watch him. He was behaving like a child having a melt down.

Stressed out? Lighten up and relax.

The cashier was doing her best. She couldn’t scan the food any faster. It would have been great if there had been more lines opened at the grocery store, but that wasn’t the cashiers fault.

After about ten minutes, the man was at the front of the line.

Was he happy about this?

Was he nice?

What do you think?

He blasted the cashier, yelled at her and was very rude. She apologized over and over again and told him how sorry she was that he had to wait. After enduring his wrath, she finally got him check out and he left. Or, I should say, stormed out leaving behind a cashier almost in tears.

It was my turn.

I told the cashier she handled the gentleman well. I told her she was doing a great job. We chatted while she checked me out.

No one likes to wait in long lines, but yelling at someone doing the best she can do isn’t the answer. I truly doubt it was the ten minute wait that caused that man to have a temper-tantrum. More than likely, he was having a hard day and was stressed out about something going on in his life. Waiting in the long line tipped him over the edge, and he lost it. Sadly, the cashier was the recipient of his bad mood.

Don’t let yourself get to this point.

Take time during your day to diffuse whatever is going on in your life. Take a short walk. Do a few stretches. Turn on some music and dance. Have a cup of tea. Figure out whatever you need to do to help yourself unwind from your day, and do it. Don’t let yourself get to the point where you blast the cashier at a grocery store because you’re feeling stressed out about your day.