……I repeat this statement to myself over and over:

“You cannot control what others do, all you can control is your reaction”

This has been one of the most impactful things in my life the past few years, and I had to repeat it to myself constantly today.  For some reason life just kept throwing things at me this week, and just when I thought I might be in the clear, it threw another curveball.  When stress mounts on me, typically I start to get really anxiety ridden and have to retreat to my house.  Dealing with the outside world gets a little scary because I’m more reactive and sensitive.  The hard part about today is that I had no choice but to deal, and for some reason the Seattle area is filled with passive aggressive people that just have no consideration for those around them.  It’s so easy to lose your temper, especially in the car.

So today I took some deep breathes and just repeated that statement to myself.  It served as a great reminder that I am the one in control of my actions and cannot blame the world for my stress.

What do you do when faced with stress?  I would love to hear some ideas on how to better cope!

-S