ned
As I was out walking today, I was thinking how this world is entirely built upon stress. I searched for an example in the world where something doesn’t have stress, live an easy life of harmony like a waltz through pixie dust.
Monkeys? My initial thought was that they have to fight for food every day: searching, climbing, digging, finding. A plant? Ever stepped on grass or a flower? If they don’t get sunlight, they die. Even inanimate objects like bikes or buildings, completely subject to the laws of stress.
My initial thought is that nothing can live stress free.
But what about living in harmony with the world, where what I need presents itself, where both myself and my food can grow in a balanced ecosystem, thriving.
However, what happens if the piece of earth I choose cannot support me? My ego tells me it’s a bad thing if the harmonious world feels that it cannot support me. This means that I will have to move on, I’ll have to find new territory, or I’ll cease to exist. If I’m truly being harmonious, does this mean I’ll slowly wilt and pass quietly?
At any rate, I started thinking about stress because I know I have stress. It surfaces in all sorts of ways: I get headaches, friends and family grow anxious, I get moody and emotional, on and on.
Can I live in harmony? Can I live stress free?
I don’t think I can if I want to continue being part of our modern culture – which I do. Culture, by definition, means that I live under a set of norms or rules that have organically grown out of society’s whims and is finicky. As such, I suppose my stress level becomes how much I want to buy in.
I kind of like stress, to be honest. It means that I’m challenging myself. I like working hard, I like a battle with my mind solving problems, I like pushing my body. It’s kind of addicting in a way. If I’m not stressing some part of myself then I feel restless.
One thing that encourages me to manage my stress is to keep organized. I categorize my stress with lists and give attention to each of my stressors in their due time.