Less Stress, More Maybe

Most of our daily stress comes from resisting what is happening in our lives. When we argue that things should be different than they actually are it feels like we are banging our heads against a closed door. As you read this, it may seem like common sense not to bang your head against a door. But when an unexpected event occurs that you don’t like, do you say or think the following things?:

“This should not be happening to me!”

“Now that this happened, things can never work.”

“This was my one chance, and now it is lost.”

“If I could just go back and get another chance, everything would be fine.”

Such thoughts are exactly where much of our daily stress originates.

There are two reasons that these types of thoughts create so much emotional stress. The first is that they are linear in nature and lead us to believe that success and happiness can only occur if this unexpected event did not happen.  The second reason is that these thoughts create resistance to what we are experiencing.

Instead of resisting, try to embrace the idea of Maybe.  Maybe is a gentle voice that allows us to accept what we are experiencing and at the same time acknowledge that life will definitely change and we will not be stuck standing in this place forever. In that moment, we can stop wringing our hands over why things are not working out as we planned, and instead focus on where to go from here.   Maybe there are numerous ways to resolve the situation or achieve the same goals or Maybe it is time for our lives to take on a totally new direction.

It is so painful and stressful not to accept things as they are. As we embrace Maybe, stress and pain dissipate because we are no longer arguing with the obstacle we face and we have hope that we can still find a way to joy and success.

I’m not saying that we have to like or prefer the experience that we are having, but to accept that it exists is the beginning of change.  Once we accept the fact that the obstacle exists, then we can see clearly that the door is closed and go on to choose another way.

Why feel stressed when we have Maybe!