stress and stressors

I am thankful for encouraging words from a friend.  

Someone who just simply said, “Hey, I’ve been there.  It’ll be okay.”

Today’s major dilemma in the Perkins’ household is
“the big P” = POTTY TRAINING.  

Pee.  Poop.  

I'm keepin' it real.

There are days, like today, when I feel like potty training a 2-year-old is pointless.  It’s unenjoyable, stressful, tiresome, and downright impossible.  Now, your 2-year-old may totally be grasping the concept.  But I have found that my children were cursed with an “I refuse to stop pooping in my pants” gene.  I just thought I would lose my sanity with the first kid.  But the second is EVEN HARDER!  That’s not supposed to be!  It’s not normal.  By the time the oldest has mastered using the toilet, the baby should just follow suit.  But that definitely hasn’t been the case in our house.

This morning, I had a momentary lapse of reason, and I just sat on the edge of the tub and fussed.  I fussed at my baby boy for messing up 2 Pull-Ups in less than 3 hours.  We had barely even gotten the day started!  But the only thing that meltdown accomplished was making him cry.  I got the puppy dog face and real tears!  Now, he doesn’t just feel bad for wetting his pants, he feels bad for making Mommy lose it.  And he still doesn’t understand the importance and convenience of the potty.

While trying to figure out my next plan of action (ie: potty charts, surprises, time outs) it hit me:  

If this is my biggest worry today, I’m doing pretty dang good!  

I am beyond blessed and there is ABSOLUTELY no reason I should be stressing over this.  He’s just a baby.  And I don’t know many 5-year-olds who have started kindergarten in diapers.  

He’ll get there… but not by pushing him.

Isn’t that how we react about lots of things in life?  Sometimes even daily.  Something stresses us out to the point we just mentally break down.  We lose sleep, we’re irritable, we’re bitter, and that affects every aspect of our lives – our relationships with our family, friends and God.

Mark 4:19

“but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.” The Message

“but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” NIV

(And lest we forget that He dealt with all kinds of troubles.  He is no stranger to hardships.) 

Unfortunately, sometimes we are faced with major ordeals that so easily take us off course – cancer, death, financial trouble, etc.  And those are definitely worthy of meltdowns.  

But too often, we allow trivial things, worries, and hardships to inhabit our hearts and minds to the point that we can’t focus on the good and important things.  They cloud our vision, keeping us from seeing life through our "trusting and faith-filled" eyes.

Stress is a real thing.  And it happens to the best of us…. ALL of us.  I am just simply trying to teach myself to deal with it in a much more effective way;  

taking those stressors and weighing them against all the blessings in my life.  

In the grand scheme of things, they are tiny, little troubles that will pass... bumps in the road that I will cross over.  There’s no reason to put a halt on things and give up, damaging relationships and losing focus.

James 1:2-4

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

There are so many things in life that we have zero control over.  However, there’s one that’s totally up to us.  
The most important variable when dealing with stress is your attitude.  

Attitude adjustments can make a world of difference.

It's tough, but be thankful for the hiccups in life, and take them in stride.  Make a game plan, adjust your attitude, and deal with it!  
Put things in perspective.  

The stressors will always be there, but the stress doesn’t have to be.

Sometimes we just need someone to tell us, “It’s all going to be okay.  You've got this!”

And DON’T FORGET TO PRAY! 

Nope, it’s not too silly to pray for your potty-training children.  
I do it all the time!  

He told me I could…

Philippians 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”