What to do when life has stressful plans

The past two weeks have been a bit stressful and hectic. A family crisis can come at the worst of times. We had planned to visit my family but an emergency in Sander’s family forced us to cancel.

So what’s the best that you can do when life hands you lemons? You make lemonade of course!

Take a deep breath
First of all don’t panic. If you aren’t in danger, then perfect. If someone is in danger, keep a calm head and focus. Panicking will only make the situation worse.

Don’t deny your feelings
It’s ok to be upset over something that doesn’t pan out the way you wanted it to. It’s a fact of life. Don’t be afraid to voice your opinions and feelings. It’s normal to feel frustrated or even devastated when plans fall apart. But don’t hide those stressful emotions. It took me years to come to terms with expressing how I felt. I grew up with the idea that no one cared about how I felt. I had to take things in my own hands if I wanted something done. But that’s not the case at all. Turn to your closest family and friends in your moment of need. They’ll be there to catch you when you fall.

Keep positive
Once you’d allowed yourself time to mourn it’s time to push forward. I always love to talk about how it’s important to use your past to grow. Even the immediate past can provide strong stepping stones for improvement. Take your experiences and learn from them. Why do you think our elders have so much wisdom to pass on? Experience!

All things happen for a reason
I spent a lot of time on the phone with my mom and a very close family friend. They insisted that all things happen for a reason. It’s taken me a few days to settle down and be at ease but they are right. All things happen for a reason. The vision may not be clear in the beginning but there’s always a chance it will make itself known.

Invest in keeping busy
Instead of stressing myself out I focused myself on everyday tasks to keep myself busy. Cleaning the house calms and grounds my emotions. I’m at ease when I have a clean workspace and have chill music on. I did a few loads of laundry (I had been slacking!) and watered my plants. I reminded myself of what I have to look forward to. Feeling good about personal space will in turn pass on those feelings of positivity. Sander and I even had a lunch date. We went all the way to Amsterdam for a delicious meal! But it helped out. We returned home happy and ready to tackle the next challenge.

I always love to remind myself that life is an ebb and flow of events and emotions. It can be stressful. When there are highs there are also lows. This is what makes being alive fun and challenging. Don’t forget that for every good event there is a sad one. But it’s never the end of the world.