Squeeze Happiness

Ever been stressed out?

I've been pretty stressed lately. I've been really sick for the last couple of weeks, have had added responsibilities with a new club I started, and tests are coming up next week. Feeling stressed is a weird feeling for me because I'm usually never stressed out. But I guess I can't be this super human who is immune to stress.

So I've been trying to figure out how to deal with it. I found two solutions I've been applying lately.

1) Squeeze Happiness
2) Use a daily planner

Squeeze Happiness. It's made life so much better. Yes, I could stress out 24/7 about life, but I decided to enjoy my time even if I have a lot to do while being sick. So I've taken some time to hang out with friends, play soccer (probably not the best idea since I'm sick), and go the temple to keep up that spirit happy and lively. It's been working. It's taken time away from responsibilities I need to do, but my mind has had enough rest to work more efficiently.

Use a daily planner. And I've been keeping a daily planner. I used one last semester and life was great. I thought I didn't need one this semester, and I really haven't until now. But keeping my assignments and responsibilities organized has helped my mind rest a bit more. It's been nice to have things written down so that I don't need to think about everything I need to do 24/7.

I guess I'll continue to keep a daily planner from now on, whether I'm sick or not. It's just been really nice to know what I have to do and when I have to do it, without thinking too much about it. And I'll continue to "Squeeze Happiness." Just taking advantage of good, healthy, entertaining things I can do for leisure to give my mind a little rest every now and then.

Patience

I've learned that patience is one of the most useful skills to have when working in teams. There are always complications when working with others. They might see things in a different light, or might have different ways to do things. These differences can produce positive or negative outcomes. It all depends on our attitude towards it. 

With patience, and a good attitude, differences among team members can produce great outcomes. New horizons can be explored and a variety of ideas can be implemented. Each individual can bring their own perspective into the group and the best solutions can be reached.

From my experience, having a good attitude towards differences is not always easy. Maybe because it's hard to be the ideal team member all the time. I know I struggle with having a positive attitude all the time. So sometimes we just need to rely on patience. Patience with other and with ourselves. Having patience will give us time to think things through, specially when we originally see things in a negative way. It can give us time to reason, release some stress, think logically, and set aside our pride and other personal matters that might be getting in the way from harmonious teamwork.

So I've come to the conclusion that I need to keep working on my patience. I can get frustrated easily. I've specially noticed that this week, in a few settings. I have been somewhat impatient at work and in a club I run. I'm sure that if I'm more patient with myself and others I will have a much more enjoyable time in anything I do.

Thinking too much?

Is there such a thing as thinking too much?

I believe that humans are rational people. They think. Some individuals more than others. But, as a whole, we think.

Why do we think? To make things happen. To answer questions. To find solutions. To prank our best friend. To have fun. To survive. Or maybe because we simply have nothing else to do. Whatever the reason, I've come to the conclusion that as a whole, we think. We need to think.

But what if we over think things?

Let me suggest just one idea to this question. I think we might miss opportunities. Our logical minds might want to rationalize things. They might want to know the ins and outs. The pros and cons. Our logical minds might want to know every possible perspective or point of view. An over analysis of a situation could bring confidence in the pros, but also fears about the cons. The build-up of unnecessary fear has the potential to stop us from acting on arising opportunities.

Lets think for a minute, like humans do. Do we really want to close the door to opportunities of success, change, or even failure, because of unnecessary fear? Don´t we learn from all of these?

So, if you can identify yourself as one who over thinks everything in your life, and can see the adverse effects it's had in your life, here's a solution for you:

Stop over thinking things. Very insightful, isn't it? Just do it. Just make it happen. Take a risk. It could be a great learning experience.

And just so you know, I'm not entirely biased. I'm definitely one of those who over thinks almost everything I do. But every now and then I like to take a risk. A leap of faith. Follow my gut feeling. And I've enjoyed it every time. That feeling of uncertainty and adrenaline can be extremely fulfilling at times.