Elephants on your chest

They're back - not quite as big as before but big enough to make it uncomfortable. I am talking about the elephants that sit on my chest. The heaviness that comes and goes even to the point where I feel the need for deeper breaths. These 'elephants' as I like to call them are an indicator to me that some chill time is in order. They can come from a range of issues that have built up, stresses of work to do, worries and anxieties.

I have struggled for the eight years with these elephants. In more recent years they are not appearing as often but when they do, I know it is a sign to chill. The last few weeks have been busy with work, demands from family, tiredness, worries about children and making decisions that potentially have a huge impact on my future and that of my family.

So what to do...I could

stop work and sit on the beach (that would be so nice about now)
withdraw from the world, close the blinds and refuse to come out
eat everything in the pantry
drink alcohol to numb the stress level back into control
Some years ago, I would have (and did) chose option number four. Each night after work I could consume 4-5 glasses of wine and feel that it had made no difference at all. While I would not say I was an alcoholic, I certainly could have been heading down that path if I didn't decide that there was a better course of action. The downside of choosing this option is the next day the problems and worries still exist - the answer is not at the bottom of the bottle.

The answer is none of the above. What I need to do is to get some perspective about life. It is so easy to get caught up in the worries that you have no control over, make a mountain out of a molehill and feel like the world is caving in.

So this time, I am going to take a more healthier approach. I will go back to my mantra that all will be fine for these worries and stresses are not mine to bear. They are God's. He knows what the next days, weeks and months hold. He knows the future and he controls it. Why should I be so worried about what may or may not happens that it affects me on an emotional and physical level. God only gives us what he knows we are capable of bearing and will gladly take the burden for us if we ask him too.

What is bothering you these days? Do you have some elephants that need to join a relocation program? Take the time now to let go and let God. You will feel so much better for doing so