The Origin of Stress

A lack of understanding, a lack of consistency.

A warping of emotions.

All-consuming, layering itself all over you without the slightest warning.

Hopelessness, dissolving by the minute, drenching you with tension.

Ohhh the tension, it’s the pillar on which it rests its twisted wrath.

A physical reaction, dictated by the mental toll of the self.

Dancing restlessly into the deep dark night

What is that?

A glimmer of hope, a path towards enlightenment you say?

Look again, it tiptoes around the rationale, gripping the light of the corner.

It is very skilled.

Comes around without a warning, stays as long as it pleases, a careless criminal agenda.

Leaves when convenient, only to come back stronger and wiser.

Diluted into the night.

It doesn’t tell you this, but it loves company, and it is patient.

That’s the worst part, it is very patient.

What’s that you say?

Do you think you found a way to fight it?

A temporary silence?

An escape into illusion?

Bourbon dances and vodka chants.

A rookie I see. I don’t wish to welcome you, but the choice is not an option.

A partner with the ego, chanting around the moonlight chaos.

Oh, the Ego. The restless will of the Ego.

The blood boils and boils again, pressing, narrowing itself while slowly losing control.

The sad part, it’s all under your control.

You’re just not strong enough, not skilled enough, not patient enough to overcome it yet.

Yet, you say. So, there is a glimmer of hope?

All I need is a glimmer. All I ever needed was a glimmer. But it takes so long to find.

How do you know?

I know because I survived.

I survived the blanket of tension.

I survived the twisted control.

I survived the aches and pains.

I emerged above it all.

I began to sleep and best of all I even dream.

Will you help my withered soul?

It depends, you see.

You can’t get rid of it, you can’t destroy it.

You must learn to tame it.

You must learn to foresee it. You must learn to ignore it. You must quickly kick it out when it overstays itss welcome.

It starts with an understanding. It starts with a choice, a strong decision.

A daily practice.

The more you practice, the better you get.

You start to tame it, you start to make the decision about it’s malignant presence.

But what about the Ego?

You must also tame it and dance along its rigged edges.

The ego is a helper and a destroyer.

It helps to make the smoke clear and allows the dust to settle.

It helps you realize that you are above it and it is not above you.

So, it’s time for you to decide.

Will you allow yourself to fall into obscurity or allow yourself to dream.

Allow yourself to think without the weight of uncertainty.

The weight of failure, the weight of the what if’s.

Oh, the what if’s.

They can send you in a vicious cycle of doubt. A doubt of nothing. You know nothing.

What you believe is what you know to be true.

So chose the other path.

The path of wonder, the path of delight, the path of opportunity.

It will help you feel alive, instead of simply living.

You will learn to breathe, not how many breathes you take.

You will learn to think, not overthink.

You will observe and allow things to come into perspective.

Oh, the power of perspective.

It’s a journey of discovery, a journey of progression instead of regression.

So, rise above the tension and begin to walk.

Begin to mold your thoughts, instead of letting your thoughts mold reactions.