Reciprocitea Blog DE-STRESS (NOT DISTRESS).

Tea, 2016Here are the two major things I've noticed about prematurely going into distress mode:We are worried about something that is out of our control.We are comparing ourselves to someone else.Below are my thoughts on how we can actively take steps to breaking these patterns and avoid going into distress mode prematurely.When it's Out of Your ControlThere are things in this life that we will never have the ability to control. For me, my short list of things that I cannot control that I used to stress over 24/7 included: my mental illness', people walking out of my life, being a failure, and never finding a man that could love me after everything that I have been through.Today, I can hold my head high when I say I don't stress over these things anymore. I cannot control my mental illness', but I can control actively working towards maintaining them and staying in tune with what I need when they flare up.When it comes to people walking out of my life, I simply take a seat and watch them go. I reflect on all the things that individual helped me learn during the season they had in my life and then I let it go.When it comes to being a failure, I remind myself that I am constantly improving and growing and if I'm making progress then I'm not failing.Lastly, when it comes to finding 'the one', I don't have time for that. I'm in school full-time, working 30+ hours a week, and Reciprocitea just became a small business. Right now, all I'm focused on is juggling those things and still having a social life. Like they say when we are kids, "Don't go looking for love, one day it will show up at your front door."News flash: We could all be doing more productive things than worrying about things that are out of our control and let's be honest, we both know you have more important things you could be doing.The Comparison GameOne of my biggest predispositions regarding going into distress, is comparing myself to others. I've recently decided that is no longer a game that I am willing to play. It's easy to think that you can just stop, easy to think you can just turn it off; but in reality, it's like an addictive bad habit. (At least it feels that way for me.) When comparing yourself to someone else, you are taking away from everything that you are. You are one-of-a-kind to this Universe, don't take your own light away from yourself when no one else can shine the way that you do. It took me years to finally take heed of the advice I had heard over and over again throughout the years and put a stop to the comparison game. I am still guilty of partaking when I'm going through a low period in my life and it's pretty frustrating falling back into those old ways, but knowing that I have the ability to pull myself out of it and appreciate myself for who I am is one of my greatest accomplishments.News flash: This is your cue to stop playing the comparison game too.How to De-StressI think by now we can all agree that this season and in every season to come de-stressing is in, and distressing is out. As we are all unique individuals we will all have different ways of how we would prefer to de-stress, but since we are here I thought I would share with you some of my personal favorites.Losing yourself in something you enjoy (For me that's creating artwork, learning hand lettering, learning French via Rosetta Stone, or researching stuff for Reciprocitea).Drinking copious amounts of tea.Going on an adventure and exploring new places.Spending time with friends (If you don't have time for a social life, make time.)If after all of this you're still struggling to de-stress, just refer back to the two main points in Reciprocitea's blog Murky from last year: Why stress over yesterday when it's over? Why stress about tomorrow when it isn't here?News flash: Take it day by day and know Reciprocitea will be here for you each step of the way. **Feel free to comment below and share what you do to de-stress. You never know who could benefit from it! Here at Reciprocitea we are focused on stimulating mental and emotional wellness and interacting with you and encouraging you to interact with others within the community plays a huge part in that!Together we can cultivate and stimulate wellness around the world.Sincerely,Tea