Even though I stress stress as an important topic in my work and in this blog, I’ve only stressed the word stress in three previous post titles:
Now, I’d like to stress the importance of a telephone exchange I had with my boyfriend Michael, last night, at the end of a stressful day at work:
Me: Michael, I always get more stressed at work right before I’m taking time off, right?
Michael: Oh, I can’t tell the difference, baby.
I then released some stress by laughing out loud at the thought that even though it’s soooooo obvious to me when I’m feeling more stress, it might not be obvious to others, even those who know me very well.
Laughter is good for stress.
I also released some stress by laughing out loud earlier this week, when a beloved friend — who also stresses a lot but doesn’t show it — stressed that her husband likes to liken her to a duck: calm and serene above the surface of the water while paddling rapidly, unseen, below.
Let’s see, what else do I want to stress about stress, in this stressful post?
Are any of my pictures from yesterday related to stress?
One thing I want to stress about those photos above: I found the person who owns the yellow moped that looks EXACTLY like the one I owned and loved for decades before giving it away when I moved in 2011. I’m afraid I may have stressed out the owner of that moped, yesterday morning:
(In a new Greek restaurant, near where the moped is always parked)
Me: Hi! I’m looking for the owner of the yellow moped outside.
Guy who works at Greek restaurant: That’s me. Why? Is there a PROBLEM?
Note that I’m stressing the word “problem” in that exchange. Why? Because people tend to stress the importance of problems, and that causes stress.
After talking to the moped owner for a few minutes, I found out there is no way to determine whether that yellow moped and my moped are one and the same. How stressed am I about that? Not at all.
I don’t want to stress you out, but I cannot stress how much I love getting comments here. However, as I wrote in a therapy group last night, “It takes bravery to share. You need to feel safe enough to share. It’s okay to share or not share. You decide.”
I am now deciding to share this stress-relieving music by Stevie Wonder on my last work day before a week’s vacation.
In this stressful life, I like to stress gratitude, so thanks to all who helped me create this post. And I’d especially like to stress my gratitude to you for visiting this blog today.
Stress and rest sound sort of similar. My thought for the day.
Very restful, Alex.
I get stressed by the number of times people use stress the wrong way. Now take a bow and arrow. When you pull the arrow back the bow is under stress. When you let go all that stress is converted into energy and shoots the arrow. But if you pull the arrow back too far, or if the bow has a weakness then the stress may become a strain and the bow will break. And that’s not good. I stress the fact that I am not a doctor so I might not be right – but it’s my thoughts on the matter.
I like the thoughts you stressed here.
Gotta stress one thing: good post!
Gotta stress one thing: good comment!
Michael’s comment made me laugh out loud the moment I read it.
Laughter is a great stress reliever! — my take-away about stress from this stressless read?
Laugh more. Stress less.
Here’s my take-away: you reduce my stress whenever you visit, Louise.
Learning to scan lines of poetry, knowing which syllables were stressed and which were unstressed, always caused me a lot of stress, even after I memorized Coleridge’s poem about meter:
Trochee trips from long to short;
From long to short in solemn sort
Slow Spondee stalks; strong foot! yet ill able
Ever to come up with Dactyl trisyllable.
Iambics march from short to long;
With a leap and a bound the swift Anapaests–throng;
One syllable long, with one short at each side,
Amphibrachys hastes with a stately stride;
First and last being long, middle short, Amphimacer
Strikes his thundering hoofs like a proud high-bred Racer.
And I’m so glad you talked to the owner of the yellow moped. I’ve been in situations like that where the stress of shyness kept me from saying anything and then for a long time afterward I felt stress over what I might have missed.
I cannot stress enough how much I learn from you, Chris.
Just reading the word ‘stress’ so many times is stressing me out right now 😅
Stressing stress can be stressful!
Hahaha!
I am stressing over the fact that I might be a duck as well.
I’m a duck as well, SD. I think that’s ducky.
Thank you for relieving my distress about stress!
You know and share a lot about relieving distress, Val.
The first picture stresses me out. It use to be so simple to write a blog. Now you have to be linked with social media, there’s vlogs and podcasts and the very simple word “News” is a stressor. One thing for sure is that your blog usually helps relieve my stress.
This comment relieves my stress and blogging relieves my stress, too!
Sometimes you can’t help it but knowing that you are stressed is a good thing 🙂
Your comment is a good thing!
I cannot stress the importance of forgiving grumpiness.
How distressing! It reminds me of Frank Sinatra’s song “A Sinner Kissed an Angel”! (https://youtu.be/_5lDm_vWsuQ)
Harley, it must be the catnip you gave me.
Forgiveness is a GREAT stress reducer.
That first picture symbolises stress beautifully – the total bombardment that modern life gives us
I totally appreciate your thoughts, Derrick.
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I like the duck analogy.
I’m glad you like it, Debbie.
Very good post. Don’t want to mention the word S though
That’s very good that you know how to avoid the word S!
Reblogged this on Ancien Hippie.