“I’m stressed, blessed, and coffee obsessed!”
We all say this, right? Maybe not verbally, but internally we think it.
It’s a catchy saying, isn’t it? You buy all the shirts, mugs, and hats with this phrase, proudly strutting around in your manic peacock-like state with your frazzled, stressed out life but telling yourself you’re blessed to be so stressed.
The problem is this catchy phrase is hurting you more than you think.
Have you heard the other saying, “you are what you eat”? Well, there’s another saying that’s similar: “you are what you say you are.”
I’ve read up on a plethora of personal growth books—The Success Principles, Now Discover Your Strengths, Quarter-Life Calling, The Power of Positive Thinking—and in all these books they mention the power your words have over you. Not to mention the Bible also has a word or two saying “take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5)
When we subject ourselves to the mentality of “I’m stressed,” guess what? You WILL feel stressed! It’s a scientific and psychological fact that our brain has more power over us than we might think. So, what we think about ourselves is truly what we become.
Which is why we must become more self-aware of what catchy phrases we’re telling ourselves. They may sound funny or fun to say, but it may be causing more damage or added stress (or increased coffee obsession) than you realize.
So, with this catchy saying of I’m “stressed, blessed, and coffee obsessed,” you may be subjecting yourself to the unhealthy thinking that being stressed is a blessing. And being coffee obsessed due to the stress is inevitable.
Also, there’s a difference between being stressed and being busy.
I’m busy with a full plate of activities on my calendar months in advance. I have multiple writing or coaching projects going on at any given time. I have twins in Kindergarten, my daughter in preschool, a husband that works full-time, a dog (hey, it still takes a bit of time to care for her too), and I work about 25+ hours per week doing life coaching, speaking, and writing blog posts and books.
This sounds stressful. But in all honesty? I’m not stressed out (at least most days 😉 ).
Why? Because I take time every day to manage my stress levels by: praying to God, reading to de-stress, taking walks, journaling my thoughts, coloring (yep), and I carve out time to spend with my husband each week. I have a couple close friends (that’s all you really need anyways) that I regularly talk to. I also talk to myself positively, affirm myself of what I can do, focus on the next best step, and apply God’s truth over my heart and mind whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed. These practices allow my heart and mind to stay calm, cool and collected even when my life is crazy busy.
Which is why I believe I’m truly blessed, because I’m neither a stressed-out mess, nor coffee obsessed (although let’s be real, I do LOVE my cup of coffee first thing in the morning).
Maybe we should try this on for size instead, “I stay calm, strong, and carry on!”
What saying works best for you?
