Whenever I am in a stressful situation,
be it an exam that’s coming up or an assignment, boss is angry with you or all your work got accidentally deleted, you’re late (in more than one ways) or worried about your children, terminal diagnosis for you or your loved ones,
just about anything that can can give you stress. (about which you know better me!)
I find myself trying my very best to runaway.
It’s like whenever its time for flight or fight reflex. I always end up choosing flight over fight each and every time.
It’s not due to lack of trying. I will tell you.
After every flight I try to give myself a pep talk. It summaries to:
” You can do it. You can and you will. You must. There is just no other way“.
But the next night I see or even so much as get the wind of stress, all my common sense fly out of the window and often I follow suit. It’s like a totally different me, the one trained to escape.
But how long will I run. How long will you?
When will that end.
I will tell you from from experience. It never will.
Do you know that when a diver is persuaded by a killer shark as a last resort they have to stop swimming away and turn around and gently guide it away from them.( As a last resort do not try this). Anyways you do it to show the shark that your not a prey rather a predator like them.
But what you are necessarily doing is stopping and turning around to face your problems, head on.
Now here I know how hard that can be.
Most of the times, It’s like you are auto pilot. You don’t have time to think, you just flee.
That’s okay.
Stop.
Whenever your faced with an over whelming stress. Stop. Just stop everything. No physical or mental movements.
Just nothing.
Now take a breathe. 2 or more if you need.
Clear your head, which is not easy ( with all the thoughts uncontrollably hammering your mind) but nothing is.
Now take a step back.
Taking a step back will make you see the whole picture. It may not be pretty. It won’t essentially make you feel any better than before. Seeing the whole picture can make you understand them much better. It will make a difference in your decisions. Added when your are calm you see clearly what’s in front of you and that makes a whole lot of difference.
Even if you can’t do any of this and you run like hell.
It’s okay. All you have to do is, the minute you get back in control. Stop.
Even if your problems are have a mile away. Stop
Stop running. Turn around and stand you ground.
Because what ever it is, it can’t possibly be worse than running for the rest of your life.
Now you will fail multiple times. But The trick is to carry on.
But that’s a story for another time.
Know that you are never just alone in this world.
Nia
