I’m not remotely ready to see summer go, but alas, time is chugging forward anyway and a new season is upon us. Fall means the onslaught of endless ad campaigns about “living for the hustle” and “getting back to the grind.” Namely, it’s an era of stressors that ultimately only gives way to more stressors as PSL season segues into the dreaded holiday season. Oops, did I send you into an anxiety spiral yet? Don’t fret. It was just August, like, 10 seconds ago, so you’ve got some time to spare.
The good news is that the frantic atmosphere in the air is the perfect chance to practice the age-old art of not sweating the small stuff. If I had to guess, there’s probably enough big stuff clouding your thoughts already, so let’s all try to collectively heave a big sigh and let some tiny things go. We simply can’t control everything, nor can we beat ourselves up for everything that goes wrong – yet somehow, those are seemingly the biggest cause of our minor stressors. Sigh. We can do better than this (myself included)! We deserve better! You have unequivocal permission from the universe to stop randomly stressing over the following things:
Source: Proženy
- Whether you remembered to unplug the iron before leaving the house (you did)
- What it meant when your coworker said that thing to you with that weird inflection that may or may not have indicated a secret tone of contempt
- Whether people can tell your dress is from H&M, like, seven years ago and has a tiny hole in the back
- That jackhole who cut you off on your way to work this morning
- Chips in your manicure
- The fact that you accomplished nothing last night despite plans to plow through your to-do list
- Library fines
- The fact that your morning got off on a totally frazzled foot
- That one cowlick that irks you every time you straighten your hair
- Ninety-nine percent of the things you feel needlessly guilty for
- Being overdue for a teeth cleaning
- Being a person who gets zero gratification from mindfulness
- Being just not that into yoga or green juice or SoulCycling the pain away
- Whether your lipstick is draws too much attention to your face or has minuscule smudges you can’t see
- Crows feet
- Spilling coffee on your jeans again
- Whether you’re “on track” with invisible life achievement timelines
- The overflow on your Instagram feed of high school acquaintances “living their truths” through overpriced perma-travels that imply your own life is a failure
Source: health
- The residual hair that ends up on your shirt after an amazing dog hug
- Getting an Instagram-perfect shot instead of reveling in the fact that you just ran a marathon, or graduated, or climbed a fucking mountain, or made some other photogenic accomplishment
- Your Candy Crush addiction
- Always wanting more
- What your ex is up to
- The clutter on your dining room table
- Whether you’re reading enough books
- Unnecessary expectations
- Your email inbox
- Having a Pinterest-ready workspace
- Whether you’re getting enough antioxidants
- Whether you’ve bought enough of the latest superfood
- The general need for things to work out precisely within your control
- Tasks you’re procrastinating on that were never too vital in the first place
- That patch on the back of your leg that you forgot to shave this morning
- Regrets you can’t change
Source: CBHS Health Fund
- Skipping out on your company’s “teambuilding retreat”
- That “extra” five pounds
- Being too busy to wax
- Having a hobby that isn’t trendy yet makes you deliriously happy
Original by Claire Hannum
