Living Stress Free

June 22 , 2019
By Tsion Fisseha ( Tsion Fisseha is a writer and head of foreign languages in the news department at a local TV station. She has been a part of a pan African poetry slam competition representing Ethiopia and is a member of a rock band entitled the Green Manalishi. She can be reached at tsion.f.terefe@gmail.com. )

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When I was in school, back in the good old days, my worries were relatively confined to the school compound. They mostly revolved around grades and popularity.

Life was about being able to pass from one class to the next without getting bad grades and failing and everything in between. In college, my mind had added the worry of what the future holds - career, relationship and the like.

Once I entered the workforce, my worries seem to have become endless in every which way. From figuring out if the path that I have chosen is the right one to being content and happy with what I have been given to almost always thinking about the future. Now, after having had a bit of experience in the stream, I have realised that regardless of the environment and circumstance, worry, stress and anxiety are meant to be constant companions. That is, of course, if one doesn’t decide to take matters into one’s hands and change that reality.

While taking a course titled generating transformative change, a fellow trainee taught me the reason he is never anxious even after 50-plus years in this world. He said eight hours of work, eight hours of recreation, eight hours of sleep are the best and only way he runs his life.

In this ever-changing world, one has to be able to accommodate the personal, the career, the social and a million other aspects of life that we all have to face. And this can cause anxiety and stress that are manifested both internally and externally. Regardless of the external environment, however, there is a lot one can do to overcome the hurdles and obstacles one faces each and every day.

As George F. Burns said, “If you ask me ‘what is the single most important key to longevity?’, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.”

This is something that at first glance can seem a bit too fancy a little bit far-fetched. And it is true. Life might have given us 99 different reasons to not believe in the books that are meant for improvement. It is also very easy to keep complaining and do nothing about these issues that are presumably taking away our happiness. I just started reading a book entitled “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. He describes the little habits in daily life that ultimately add up to who the person ends up becoming. These habits, both good and bad, if done consistently define who one is.

This is just one book, with one outlook on how to acquire a better lifestyle. There are also others that advise us to take one step at a time and to simplify one’s schedule. However, there are numerous amounts of do’s and don’ts that are available to trim and flaunt the life one has. In my opinion, there is nothing more disappointing than not being able to see the light at the end of whatever tunnel one is in. But it is up to us to choose what the tunnel and the light is. Clearly, there is no one formula or equation to live a stress and anxiety free life. But as long as one is willing to explore the idea behind this notion and ready oneself to change the reality one is in right now, it is only a matter of time until one finds the right fit.

Life is a rollercoaster ride, regardless of how much of a cliché that statement is. It is something one is stuck with for life. The sooner you wake up, the sooner you will enjoy the fruit that one has cultivated.

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PUBLISHED ON Jun 22,2019 [ VOL 20 , NO 999]

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