Stressing About Stress!

Even reading the title to myself it sounds kind of silly. “Stressing about Stress”. Why would you stress about stress? No idea, but I definitely do. As I have mentioned before, I have GAD (generalized anxiety disorder). I was prescribed a medication to help me deal with the disorder. But, recently I decided to go off this medication. So, I am now coping with my stress purely through my own coping strategies that I’ve learned. So far, it is going pretty well. But, one thing that I really noticed is my stress about being stressed.

My biggest struggle so far with going off my medication is the stress about being stressed. Just sitting there and worrying “oh my gosh what if I freak out” “what if I stress so much now that I’m not on my medication” “what if I can’t handle the stress without the medications”. Things of that nature. And then I realized that I was stressing about the IDEA of being stressed! Not even actually being stressed, just the idea of it.

This is not a normal thing. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has ever stressed out about being stressed. But, the important thing to realize is that stress is a necessary part of life! We don’t want stress to be overly present because that can cause very negative effects on both mental and physical health. However, there is a such thing as a healthy amount of stress.  A healthy amount of stress can serve as a good motivator, or even a lifesaver! Feeling a little bit of stress can lead us to get things done that we know we need to get done. Feeling stress can also lead us away from a bad situation that we may be feeling stressed about for a good reason.

So, what have I learned lately? That it is ok to not feel ok. We live in a world where we are not used to being uncomfortable. We are taught that any discomfort for anyone should be avoided and is not right. THIS IS NOT TRUE! Though it isn’t always the most fun, some discomfort is a necessity in life. So, the most important thing is just learning how to cope with the discomfort. Remember that it is temporary, you will not feel this way forever. The stress and the discomfort will go away. If you would like a post about ways to cope with stress just comment below!

I hope this was helpful for you in some way! As always, this page is one that I want to be helpful for you; comment any ideas, questions, concerns, post suggestions, etc. down below! Just click the “leave a comment” button up top; I would love to hear from you! Also, comment any ideas YOU may have about how to cope with stress!

Xoxo,

Maddie