A Grateful Mind is a Peaceful Mind

5 Life lessons you can use to reduce stress

If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.

-Booker T Washington

This lesson should live within you always during stages of success and failure. If you achieve any level of success be sure to pay it forward help someone realize one of their goals. If you feel stuck by failure or depression, the quickest path to feeling better is to do something kind for someone in greater need.

Everything is going to be ok in the end. If it is not ok, it is not the end.

Life can seem long. Periods of great stress can weigh us down. If you are someone who truly believes everything works out for the right reason, you will be able to weather this storm. If you struggle with faith in this belief, take time to reflect back on a past experience that brought great stress and sadness. With enough time and distance, were you able to gain any perspective or knowledge from that time in your life? Write down any helpful insights from then that could help you see through this new challenge.

When you wake up and are in a bad mood, choose to be kind.

Regardless of religious and spiritual beliefs, most people agree that you get out of life what you put into it. When we are stressed, our patience is short. At our weakest moments, we dump our bad energy on to others. Find a healthy way to communicate the things that are bringing you stress. Everyone has an innate desire to help someone who expresses need.

When you don’t know where to start, simply take that first step to anywhere it leads.

It is easy to get overwhelmed. If the day ahead seems overwhelming and progress seems impossible, just pick one thing that is manageable and doable today. On the darkest days, the greatest challenge you face may simply be to get out of bed. That is ok. Do that one thing and do not accept defeat. You could even try productive procrastination where you complete some task that is not the most important but nonetheless needs to get done. It may be small but it is a start. It may just be the small spark you needed to ignites your greater momentum.

If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape 100 days of sorrow.

We are the reason for yet answer to most of our problems.

Typically anger is a symptom of deep rooted issues. Maybe we are angry with someone who constantly disappoints us. Maybe we are angry with financial circumstances that are out of our control. We will never have the power to control all events that happen to us, but we always have the power to control how we react. Use these moments as an opportunity to exercise patience and kindness and escape the trap of self-inflicted misery anger perpetuates.

Research has associated great happiness to people who spend a set amount of time each day in gratitude. Beginners may feel overwhelmed at first but even short 5 minute self-reflections can transform your life. Consistently writing out a list of gratitude will show you how much you have to be grateful for.