Ground yourself

When I’m stressed, I remind myself of the quote from “Who’s Line is it Anyway.”

“Welcome to ‘Who’s Line is it Anyway’ where everything is made up and the points don’t matter.”

It seems dumb to recite this quote to myself in times of distress— but as stupid as it is, there is a Zen-like appeal to its simplicity. Much of life’s stress (apart from how we perceive it) revolves around our sense of obligation, be it work, family, or otherwise. We feel compelled to act, not out of our own personal drive, but rather out of the sense that we must, or else there will be ramifications. One of those most paramount forms of stress being money. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to realize just how much stress we can carry and allow to consume us when we don’t put things in perspective.

It’s easy to forget that all of this, everything we have; money, possessions, our system of government, and way of living, was at one point not a reality. Meaning, it was at one point made up. This isn’t to downplay the significance of all of these things, because there is so much good that has come from the kind of life we have, the opportunities provided to us by a society that has mutually agreed upon a set of rules, tools, and a system for them to function within. However, by putting these things in perspective, and thinking about it critically, it doesn’t take long to conclude that much of what causes us stress, either out of obligation, or to appease, is in fact a choice. We have the choice, every day, to continue down the path we’ve made for ourselves, or we can move on to something else. We can allow the stress of the moment consume us, or we can decide that it wasn’t actually very important. Most of what we would consider stressful in our lives is in reality, not very consequential. Of course, there are things that we need to address, things that if left unattended will consume us, but I’ve come to understand that there are many things in our lives that are of little consequence, and will have little impact on our everyday lives.

You have to draw those lines for yourself. Personally, when I am confronted with much of what I would consider stressful, I try to ground myself in the reality that much of what I’m dealing with will likely pass, and that the more significant things in my life, such as time with my family, my being present, and living a meaningful life, are far more important than seeing things through the lens of stress. None of us are going to leave this world with money, possessions, or property, so don’t let it consume you while you’re here. Things are going to come and go, but our time is sacred; the way we use it, through passion or relationships, is far more meaningful and significantly more impactful. Don’t let the stress weigh you down or suck away the time you have on this earth. As I said last time, understand your gift and its significance.