Five Things You May Not Realize Are Causing You Stress

Stress is something we all endure whether we notice it or not. Sometimes stressful situations are so subtle that when it’s time to alleviate the issue, you don’t even know what it is. I’ve experienced this and it took me having to write down everything I do daily to narrow down where my stress is coming from. What was stressing me turned out to be things that were very covert, yet in my control. Here are some silent things that may be stressing you out.
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1. Friends
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Or better yet, bad friends. Have you ever just sat around people who never have anything productive or positive to talk about? Yet, you listen to them and chime in with more negativity to add to theirs so that it makes them seem not as negative? Yeah, those people have got to go. Friends should be people who make you feel good. Yes, we all have our bad days, but not every day.
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2. Overthinking/Second Guessing Yourself
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Your thoughts, ideas, and experiences are all valid. At times, we put so much pressure on ourselves to be right all the time and that’s just not reality. We second-guess ourselves because we want the right answer, and fear we’ll look silly after we’ve made our decision. Take a breather – we’re all human and we make mistakes and you won’t know if you made one if you’re always perfect. Learning is essential to growth.
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3. Worrying About What’s Already Done
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Wise old Rafiki said it best, “The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.” You can’t change what’s already happened, so what’s the point in trying? Yes, sometimes life sucks, but dwelling on it will only depress you and stress you out. Instead, use that energy to change what you do in the future. Remember the person who looks back to see who’s chasing them ALWAYS gets killed.
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4. Comparing Yourself to Others
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What’s the point in trying to be someone else when God made you the way you’re supposed to be? You were put on this Earth to be unique and contribute what God gifted YOU with. There’s no one who can compete with you – literally. Don’t worry about what others have because that takes time away from yourself. Of course, as humans we get envious but that’s not going to give you that car, degree, hair, job, etc. But if you focus on building yourself up, you won’t have time to stress about what you don’t have.
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5. Not Enough Sleep and Bad Diet
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Your health is extremely important. Two very key components of good health is getting enough rest and maintaining a balanced, nutritional diet. You may think you can get away with only four hours of sleep and eating once a day because you were busy, but you can’t. It can be hard to notice at first but your body will start to show you how much you’re damaging it. Food and sleep are how you get energy. Without energy we become lazy. When we get lazy we procrastinate. Procrastination leads to tasks not getting done or depression and will ultimately bring you stress.