My Anywhere But Here Blog

Today I was thinking on stress and why we let it take hold of our energy. We seem to let it determine our day, to where we cannot seem to focus on what is our main priority for the day. And why do we do that? Why can’t we just snuff it out like a flame on a candle? 

Instead, we let it respond like a wick and grow into a bigger flame or situation. We forget we have the ultimate control over it—not someone or something else. And are we willing to bring that into our My Anywhere But Here space? 

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do as a Christian is to say, 

“Okay, God, I do not have this day with all its uncertainties, and yet certainties, such as schedules and responsibilities.” 

I have always said, 

“Okay, God, let’s start this day together.” 

So when I succeed and win, You can cheer me on, or when and if I fail, You can be along on this daily journey to remind me I do not have to have it all together or everything in its place. 

I shouldn’t take on stress or burdens or even simple small weights (problems) on my shoulders. I should instead work toward—or manifest for myself—a good day. 

There is a song I love where the main lyric is, 

“Today would be a very good day to have a good day.” 

I love that saying. 

It is like something a friend said to me today: we don’t have bad days, we just have bad moments. 

I was having a rough start to my morning, but her words had me saying, “Wow, you know this is just a moment in time. It doesn’t have to carry through to the end of the day.” 

I was letting one small moment dictate that today was going to be a struggle. Why? 

Was my one bad moment the creator of my stress, or was it just one moment? Could I not push the stress away and say, 

“Nope, it’s not your day today, stress. It’s my day.” 

What is so funny is that as I was writing this blog—something I often do at my mother’s place while she is napping—life quietly interrupted. 

My mother is 97 and lives in an assisted living community. As I sat there writing, her aide knocked on the den door to let me know there was water all over her bathroom floor. 

I calmly said, 

“Okay, let me call maintenance and let them handle it.” 

After all, I am a writer, not a plumber. 

Rather than stress or worry, I chose to pause and wait it out, allowing those who could help to do so, and trusting that the outcome would tell me whether worry or stress would have solved anything in the first place. 

Sometimes, the wisest thing we can do is step back, breathe, and let life show us what truly requires our concern. 

The problem was resolved quickly. 

It surprises me how much of our stress revolves around our reaction to things—doctor’s news, a letter that comes in our email or mail, something that happens at work or school, or something that occurs unexpectedly. 

We can control our emotions when we expect things, and we can control our stress levels as well. But what about when something we were not expecting in our day-to-day routine happens? 

Does it cause us to wish to be anywhere but here, away from the stress, or do we say, 

“Okay, deep breaths—you’ve got this.” 

Why let it rob us of our energy or cause us to distrust that we fully have everything within reach of resolving it? 

The outcome may not produce the results we were hoping for or lead to an easy solution like today’s problem did. Yet wouldn’t it be more productive to lessen the problem by not bringing stress into the mix? 

Take it one step at a time. 

First, make a plan to quell the stress and not allow it to take hold. 

“Easier said than done,” you might say. 

But wouldn’t it be great to crawl under the covers at night knowing that stress did not control the full aspect of your day, but rather that everything was looked upon as a moment rather than a full day of problems? 

Moments come with little stress, while bad days hold stress until it overflows and threatens to ruin our My Anywhere But Here realm. 

That is a place worth protecting.