I AM IN CONTROL

“A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.” Proverbs 29:11

Happy New Year! I’m excited to be with all of you and to keep pouring into you weekly as you conquer daily. I’m making a change or two to my writing style, kicking my affirmations into high gear and blessing you with positive speak and prayers. Because of that I thought I’d start 2022 off with the emotion that gives me the most grief: Stress. Yes, good old fashioned sweating of the big and small stuff. If you’re anything like me then you know that stress unchecked can easily turn into Anxiety and knowing that it is my personal goal to conquer Anxiety daily, I’m going to affirm myself and hopefully you right along with me.

I am owning my stress and it does NOT control me. I am in control.

Too often we run from stress, putting it in a tiny little box and burying it deep away from the forefront. But that never works. Eventually, Stress is going to power move its way out of hiding and force itself onto your plate. So I am encouraging you to OWN your stress. Why? Because if you own it, you can control it. “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.” Proverbs 29:11 Full transparency, when I first read this scripture it bothered me. I’m all about talking through EVERYTHING. But then I had to take a step back and think about what it was saying. It’s not saying that you shouldn’t talk about your feelings (in this case Stress) but that you shouldn’t dump them ALL at once. And that I can rock with. You see, when Stress takes control it tends to pull all the other emotions along with it and throws them into the ring. Why? Because Stress doesn’t know how to fight it’s own battle. Stress brings Anger, Confusion, Sadness, Guilt, and just about anyone else to justify it’s presence. “I’m Stressed because you’re making me Angry.” “I’m Stressed because you’re confusing me.” “I’m Stressed because I feel Guilty about procrastinating.” It always has a wingman. But if you own that Stress and make it stand on its own, you’ll see it’s not as powerful as it tries to seem.

I am Stressed. But that can stop right now because I’m acknowledging it.

Own that Stress. Take back control. Be wise and sort through it instead of allowing all the other emotions to hit the table and watch you struggle to bring it back in. Find appropriate methods to deal with the stress. Positive self talk, deep breathing, meditation, and a therapy session could be just what you need to maintain control. And remember, if you lose your cool, it’s not the end of the world. Take a deep breath and try again tomorrow. Your stress doesn’t get to call the shots. I love you, keep conquering daily! I believe in you.