Please Lighten Up!

Stress can be very stressful! But there is something I’ve learned about life and stress. Life happens. Every single day you live, you can rest assured there will be opportunities to get stressed. And there will be opportunities to laugh.  I know lots of people who seem to thrive on the stress-they cause it and then wallow in it. Being around them is like living with the plague. Their negativity is infectious and makes it difficult to have joy when they’re around. It’s draining, and you find yourself being just as negative and stressed as they are!

This morning, my husband was a wreck. The printer to his computer has not worked for a while, so he was working on making the dumb thing function. I was writing a paper for a class while he was behind me sweating bullets, cussing like a trucker, and threatening both his computer and the printer of impending doom! With every outburst, it got funnier and funnier…to me. So far, he still hasn’t gotten it reloaded and working, but as I laughed, so did he and he calmed down. My reaction to his reaction changed his reaction!

In reality, choosing the stress road is the harder way to go. It eats away at your countenance, your health, and your joy, to name a few. However, if you choose to laugh, it lightens matters that might otherwise stress you out and it puts things in perspective. So please lighten up!

I recently heard Joyce Meyer say that many of us declare that we can’t help the way we act or react to the stressors in life. “It’s just the way I am” or so and so “made me act like this.” But if your pastor came to the door in the middle of your stressed out tirade, you’d more than likely pull yourself and your mouth together really quickly! So, as Joyce pointed out, you CAN control it.

Let's be real. Some of life's situations are going to get to you, no matter what. In this world, we WILL have tribulations, trials, and difficult moments. But how you react and continue to act is your choice. We can lose control, or we can be of good cheer. That’s not to say we go through it all unaffected. We just chose how we manage ourselves through it all. For your own good, make a habit of living light.

So lighten up, would you please? Here are some suggestions to reduce stress and ways to choose to live lighter…

      Laugh more

      Complain less

      Pray often

      Forgive quickly

      Slow down

      Never gossip

      Be kind

      Focus on blessings

      Chose peace

      Eat better

      Sleep well

Add to them whatever it takes to live light. And really. Smile more. People will wonder what you’re up to!