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Here are some ways to deal with the stressors, so as to avoid turning it all into one big mess of stress in your life (I follow these religiously):
- Make sure you don't overwhelm yourself with lots of other's opinions about media reports, etc. Draw a line and a boundary as it all can be overwhelming.
- Make a safe space for yourself each day that is sacred time where you do what you like to do to replenish yourself.
- Don't add up all of the little stressors in an ordinary day or week and make one huge, big stress out of it. Keep it to bad moments, not bad days. Life happens.
- Make sure you hum or sing or at least listen to a nice song each day.
- Keep a note or quote or compliment from one of your participants in a place that you can read each time before you present a PGC program. Type it out if you have to, and read it right before you begin.
- You have been empowered; empower others in your groups whose voices have been silenced.
- Walk. It is healing and helps clear your mind. Process things while you walk: "Solvitur ambulando" is a Latin phrase for "it is solved by walking," which is often attributed to Saint Augustine.
- We can be easily duped, and people lie to us. They have any number of reasons to justify or minimize the lie, but that is what some people do. Believe it, accept it and move on to your good life. Leave the liars in a place that God will handle, and He will. Trusting is the part of our good, God created nature, and it is part of who we are. Not believing the lie allows us to be further duped. Like the PGC program promotes, trust but verify.
- When you map it all out, who is in the center of the circle of your life? You should be primary. God is always there, but you should come first. When you take care of yourself, you are better fit to take care of others. Lessen the times you spend with unproductive people and things. They will drag you down. Minister to them carefully, but not so it is a near occasion of sin for yourself—that is, you feel overwhelmed and want to scream at the end of an interaction or phone call. You can't save the world. Jesus already did that for us.
- Treat yourself to nice little things once in a while: A piece of good chocolate (or whatever "chocolate" represents to you), flowers, art for your eyes to appreciate, vegging out on the couch, music, talking to a friend, not talking to anyone, not being the go-to person for everything for just a day, etc.
- Remind yourself that life isn't easy, and that we are on this journey together, the good, the bad and the not-so-pretty. We are all trying our best, but some don't quite pull their own weight. That is the nature of life—some give, some take. You are a giver! Don't give what you don't have for yourself. Make sure your own reservoir is full.
Blessings, thanks and all good things on your journey, and as Saint Catherine of Siena encouraged us, "We know what we have to do!" We are in this together! Godspeed!
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