When bad things are happening all around you

When everything around you seems to be falling a part, when the circumstances you NEVER believed would happen to you, are now your life, the number one thing you need to find is ACCEPTANCE.

Accept the fact that no matter how you think you have a handle on things, no matter how much you try to control the activities of your life, events will occur that you never dreamed would happen. Bad things may be happening all around you.

Accept the fact that you still have two choices. You can succumb to the circumstances and let your response be controlled by outside factors, or you can use your brain and respond in a positive manner which reflects intellect and thought.

Stop for a moment. Exercise your mind. Sometimes you cannot change circumstances in your life. You can, however, always be in charge of your response to those circumstances.

Use your oxygen. It is with you and sustains you 100% of the time. Remember, mindful breaths will lower your blood pressure, slow your heart rate, get needed oxygen to the brain, and keep those ligaments, tendons, muscles, and all the organs inside you functioning optimally.

The list below are life events that trigger STRESS. Some are good events, and some are bad things that happen that catch you off guard. They are ranked from the most stressful to the least stressful:

Death of a spouse or child (or grandchild)
Divorce
Marital Separation
Detention in jail or other institution
Death of a close family member (parent or sibling)
Major personal injury or illness
Marriage
Being fired from work
Marriage reconciliation
Retirement
Major change in health or behavior of a family member
Pregnancy of spouse / partner
Sexual difficulties
Gaining a new family member(birth, adoption)
Major business readjustment (merger, reorganization)
Major change in financial state (better or worse)
Death of a close friend
Changing to different type of work
Major change in the number of arguments with spouse (more or less)
Taking on a significant (to you) mortgage
Foreclosure on a mortgage or loan
Bankruptcy
Son or daughter leaving home
In-law troubles
Outstanding personal achievement
Partner beginning or ceasing work outside the home
Beginning or ceasing formal schooling
Major change in living conditions
Revision of personal habits
Troubles with the boss
Change in residence
Changing to a new school
Major change in usual type and / or amount of recreation
Major change in church or spiritual activities
Taking on a small loan
Major change in sleeping habits
Major change in number of family get-togethers (more or less)
Major changes in eating habits
Holiday or vacation
Christmas
Minor violations of the law

I've had every single thing on the list happen to me in my lifetime (with two exceptions - and I'm not telling which ones:) I'm still here, and still the human happy face!

Stress can be good or bad. It still affects our mind and spirit. Too much stress can (and usually does) change the health and functions of our body.

When bad things are happening all around you, when you think you can't handle any more, remember.....

YOU CAN TOO! Often we are hit with so much at one time we may think we just can't handle it. The real secret is, YOU CAN HANDLE IT!

The ONLY choice is to accept, take a breath, use your intellect, and respond accordingly. We may not be able to change the scenario, but we can change our attitude about it. Find a lesson. Empower yourself in some way by building character. Have compassion and understanding.

Now take a breath and relax! It will all be okay.