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I am so excited to introduce guest blogger Isabel Freitas today!! She has some very helpful insight on how to avoid stress and find peace. I will be rereading this one a lot for all the helpful reminders she has!

It feels like you’re about to explode at any moment. The stress and overwhelm are real. I see you! I know it’s not easy, but today I’m sharing a couple effective tips on how to avoid stress and find peace! Just keep on reading.

I see you. Your mind goes everywhere. You can’t stop thinking about the bills, or your kids who aren’t making the best choices, or things that just didn’t work out as you planned. Life is tough and sometimes several things hit us all at once.

It’s imperative that we decide to take charge. Not of the circumstances, not of what happens to us, because that’s beyond our control… but take charge of our mental, emotional, and physical health. These are often things we ignore.

We keep thinking:

“If I just keep going, I can deal with all of these problems at the same time.”

“If I just keep pushing, they will eventually all come to an end.”

“I don’t have time to stop and rest.”

“I don’t have time to waste taking care of myself.”

But the thing is, if we don’t stop to rest and prioritize our health, we’ll crash and there will be no one left to deal with all the life stuff we got going on. I know it’s very hard to change our mindset, but let’s take a look at some simple things we can do to avoid all the stress and find some peace amidst the chaos.

How to avoid stress and find peace

All of the approaches I'm about to share to help you avoid stress and find peace are things that I learned the hard way. I've never had problems with stress or anxiety until I kept ignoring the signs my body was giving me.

I was constantly feeling overwhelmed. I had too many things on my plate that I had said yes to, without first analyzing all the effort I was going to have to put into each one of them. I had a weekly list of obligations that were equal to anybody else's monthly list. Everybody kept telling me to step back from a couple of responsibilities and I just couldn't bear the thought of disappointing the people I had said yes to.

All of the things I had agreed to seemed like excellent opportunities for personal and spiritual growth and I just didn't want to give up on any of them. But the thing is, our health is more important than (maybe) disappointing others. I just couldn't see that in time.

One day, I was having lunch with my husband, talking about life and having a good time, when all of a sudden, my body stopped. I couldn't talk, I was out of breath, my heart was pounding a hundred times faster than usual, and I started crying compulsively. It took me a couple of minutes to get back to normal. My husband freaked out. I had the first panic attack of my life. It was a horrible experience! That was the lowest point. That's when I realized I had to do something to avoid all that stress and overwhelm and find peace.

So here we go.

#1. Take care of yourself

It doesn't matter how important the responsibilities you have are if you don't take care of yourself. If you just keep pushing, at one point or another, your body will find a way to tell you that you can't keep on going like that.

Would you rather take some time right now to rest and take care of your mind, body, and emotions or would you rather wait until your body crashes and you're forced to do it anyway?

Taking care of yourself and taking time to rest, will allow you to feel refreshed and ready do to a lot more than you can with your tired body and mind. It will make you more productive and will give you more energy.

So think about this!

Whether it's an afternoon nap or a SPA evening, you need to do something to rejuvenate and refresh yourself.

#2. Learn to say “no” to things

Sometimes, saying "no" can be the best gift to yourself. When thinking about adding one more commitment to your already-full plate, it's important to analyze four things:

• How much 'work' comes with this? Can I really fit all of it into my schedule?

• Is this really what my heart desires? Is this going to make me happy?

• Is this the right time?

• Is this my priority at the moment?

After you answer all these questions, does it still seem like a good idea? If so, by all means, go for it. But if not, it's better to just say 'no' now than to wait to be completely involved to say no then.

#3. Plan ahead

Sometimes, when we have too many tasks to complete, we act like we don't have time to plan and just start doing them instead. But the thing is, when we plan things, everything happens a lot smoother, avoiding unnecessary stress and giving us peace and a feeling of accomplishment.

Planning ahead doesn't guarantee a perfect outcome, but at least it allows us to be more productive and to prepare our mind for the unexpected.

This simple act of taking time to step back and plan our day or a project we have can bring us some rest.

#4. Have a positive attitude

I'm a big dreamer and I have faith that my dreams will come true! But a lot of times, my dreams just aren't the dreams that God has for me. Instead of feeling disappointed, I try to take all the situations that go against what I'd hoped for and turn them into learning experiences.

Two years ago, my husband and I started a clothing business that we thought was going to be our forever business. Our sole income for the rest of our lives. Long story short, we invested 20k in the business and it didn't work out. A year later, we decided to close the business. This could have left us devastated, but instead, we took all of the events and learned from them and we're better for it.

Having a positive attitude even when things don't go our way, can relieve us from severe frustration and unwanted stress.

Start avoiding stress and finding peace in your life

The circumstances and situations in your life are not up to you, but your attitude towards all of them are! You are the one person who can take control of your own peace of mind.

Always remember to take care of yourself (rest), say 'no' to things that don't fit in your schedule and heart, plan ahead and have a positive attitude. These 4 simple things will go a long way in bringing you peace and avoiding stress.

Are there any other ways that help you avoid stress and find peace? We'd love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Isabel is a Christian wife and mom of two boys. She strives to create a thriving home and family life for herself, her husband, and kids, and she helps others do the same. On Family Life Blog, you can expect to learn how to gain control over your finances, grow in faith, create a positive family environment, turn your house into a thriving, beautiful home, and bring people together around the table by cooking simple, delicious recipes! You can start creating a thriving home & beautiful life at Family Life Blog today.