Dear friend who feels stressed out

Stress is really easy to come by. We all take on more than we can handle and end up feeling overwhelmed. There are rough days, weeks, and months where we just cannot seem to take a step forward. We procrastinate, or we just have too much to do. As you tick one task off your to-do list, another two make their way onto it. Irritating, isn’t it?

I know it feels as though it’s all going to pile up, fall on you, and leave you buried with no remorse. I know last year was tough, you couldn’t meet anyone, you couldn’t step out to get a breath of fresh air, and any and all “normalcy” you knew suddenly just evaporated. If this wasn’t already overwhelming, you were drowning in assignments, work, and pure uncertainty as to when the normalcy will return. Crazy, isn’t it?

You start forgetting things since there is no more space in your brain to cram more tasks, work, or even thoughts. You tell yourself you’re not worth it, you don’t deserve it, you’re not working hard enough. You tell yourself that you’re only feeling overwhelmed and stressed out because you’re weak and can’t handle anything you take on. But, take a moment to rethink your situation. The craziness, the irritation, and the frustration.

Firstly, just take a breath. It’s perfectly okay to feel stressed out. Just remember it’s temporary, stress is not an eternal state of being. It’s going to be fine, you’re going to pull through. You’re going to work through one task at a time. There is nothing on that to-do list that you cannot do. I want you to remember what you told your stressed-out friend the last time they came to you for advice. Yeah, you said, “Don’t worry, you got this. I believe in you.”

It’s time to be a little bit selfish, and channelize some of that belief into yourself. Because, I believe in you, but, you have to too. As long as you believe in yourself, stress is going to be a walk in the park. You need to prioritize your mental and physical health before you try to help someone else. After all, how can you water a plant when your own cup is empty?

You’ll make it through this. Breathe and remember that a few weeks, or months, down the line, most things on your mind right now won’t even matter. A new day always comes along, and you’re going to make that day count. I know awaiting the next day or the next week is not a permanent solution to stress, but it helps to know you made it through one more day, and I’m sure you’re going to make it through another and another and so on.

I want you to close your eyes, give yourself ten seconds to breathe and pretend as though nothing is on your mind. I want you to look at that one joke that made you laugh so much you thought you would stop breathing. I want you to think of that moment when you looked at someone and felt butterflies going mad in your gut. I want you to remember the smell of your favorite food and even your favorite childhood memory. Beautiful, isn’t it?

You’ve made it through so much. You still have a long way to go, so many of those beautiful moments to live. So, you might as well enjoy stress while you’re at it. After all, pressure makes diamonds and we both know you’re keen to shine, aren’t you?

Written by Nandinii