Perhaps I’m feeling a bit more at ease with the universe, and therefore, emanating positive vibes from every atom I am composed of. I just came back from a 4 day vacation in the beautiful country of Jamaica where I enjoyed the food, soaked up some sun, and got hit with a surprise proposal during a catered dinner on the beach. But this has also given me some time to reflect on things in life. The journey to get to our island destination was hit with a lot of turbulent road bumps (and flights) along the way, and I was stressed to the brim during the entirety of the beginning stages of our travel. My partner on the other hand, was completely at ease in life. He easily could have been stressed about his planned proposal being delayed but instead, he was super chill. His whole reasoning behind this is that stressing out about a situation doesn’t change the outcome or predicament, but inevitably, puts you in a conundrum offa vicious cycle of sickening feelings. Why put that added weight of misfortune upon yourself?
Of course, he was right. I was stressing out about flight delays and airport issues and my stress didn’t alleviate any worries. In fact, it exacerbated them over something that wouldn’t be effected no matter how much my mind focused on it. Flights were still delayed and turbulence was still rampant, and all I was doing was feeling more laden with worry and overwhelmed by the minute. It’s no secret that I’m not a good flyer; the anxiety it causes a control freak like me sucks, but I manage. All the new protocols and regulations definitely don’t help, and it’s all a wonderful relief when my feet are planted firmly back on the ground.
I will say that it was such a wonderful experience to learn how to relax and eliminate the worries that come with an all-inclusive tropical paradise. The cherry on top of that being the lifelong promise to one another with my most favorite person in the entire world. But as we began to depart to head back home, I do my best to stave away all the nagging worries threatening to invade my brain and accompany me along this flight. I start frantically listing all the impending chores in my head and the tasks needing to be fulfilled scuttle to the forefront of my thoughts. And then here comes the worries, penetrating my exterior like the copious amounts of sanitizer they douse you with at every turn. It’s always there and smack dab in the middle of your face. I’ve been drowning in hygienic cleansing products and now anxiety as well. Time to just let go and breathe.
We all have different things that cause us stress, and mine has always been in regards to the things I can and can’t control in my life. I don’t even like any natural or medicinal uses to help ease the stress because I get anxiety when I can’t control how chilled out I become. What a catch 22 that one is. I’m trying my hardest to learn to quit stressing, because there is nothing beneficial that comes out of that. If I can control the outcome of a specific endeavor, then there is no need to stress or worry because I am in full control of the situation and can contribute to the results. If I can’t control the outcome of a situation, then there is absolutely no need to stress out because worrying about said situation doesn’t effect the results in any way. Trying to learn to roll with the punches and not sweating the small stuff. Difficult, but doable.
Jamaica is absolutely the most perfect place to learn how to chill out and relax. Everyone is so friendly and amicable and happy to proclaim “Ya mon” at every turn. The music is melodically played to destress you and the views of the beautiful mountainous landscapes and bright blue oceanic waves crashing on the shoreline are so mesmerizing and soothing. Nothing like sipping some delicious Jamaican rum with your toes in the sand watching the sun paint beautiful colors across the sky at dusk. A tropical paradise is one of the best “medicinal” treatments to alleviate your worries, eliminate your stress, and fill you with joyous emotions. And to come home even more in love than ever and with the accoutrement of an incredibly thoughtful ring on your finger that took a lot of thought and care to plan helped eradicate any stress threatening to infiltrate my system. It’s definitely a learning process, but definitely trying to stick with the theme of ‘Don’t worry, be happy.’
