Did you come across this article because you simply wanted to enlighten your senses and hear what I have to say about a certain word that I really despise with ever fiber in my being? I'm about to write that word, but before I do, if you're reading this and you have something to do that you know...you just KNOW you were supposed to do, but for some reason you're pushing it back to read this? I'm really talking to you. Listen up. You are going to stress yourself unnecessarily. There. I said it. Stress, stress, stress!

Stress is like a disease. It can be contagious, but it is also curable (great news). Most of us know exactly what we are doing to ourselves to cause this thing to thrive in our personal, academic, and even spiritual lives, so let's take a moment to pause and really contemplate on this. First off, stress, for those of you who don't know (I have yet to meet someone who hasn't gone through this), is an overwhelming feeling. Literally. It's when your brain is working on overload and can't process anything accurately because you're busy thinking about why you decided to watch Netflix the whole weekend instead of work on your paper which is due tomorrow. To make matters worse, if that paper is due in few hours that's not good. Translation: H O R R I B L E. Anyway, my point is that stress takes a toll on your health and the effects are effects you don't want to face. So, without further ado, let's go through some of the ways that gets rid of this disease!

1. PRAY

I am a Christian woman who believes in a God that's more powerful than anything I know, or will ever be able to imagine, simply because I'm incapable of imagining how amazing He is - Jesus Christ, my Mighty and Loving Creator. He's held my hand through hard times and continues to do so even in times were I make stupid decisions to push things back and inflict stress on myself. Praying, for me, has been fulfilling and has also given me a shoulder to lean on mentally and emotionally when I honestly feel like it was the end of the road!...Or so I thought :) Point is, I can because He is. When I find myself in situations such as these, I find myself saying this verse over and over again in my head. It's written in the scriptures. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

2. REFLECT

You need time to think through what went wrong on your part. Just like the first step in solving a problem is recognizing what happened, the same thing applies to stress. Just breathe and think about it. Why do I feel overwhelmed right now? What went wrong? Do I accept and own what I did? (You need to do this in order to come to terms with things) What can I change in the future? Am I really going to stick to this idea of improvement? (It's actually a thing guys. Improvement ain't one of those overnight deals!) Ask yourself these questions. When you finally have all your answers (HONEST ANSWERS) you can move on to the last step.

3. REPENT

Firstly, let's define "repent." This means to feel sorry for yourself and acknowledge you screwed up. After throwing yourself a pity party, don't do it again. Yes, I know it is always easier said than done (in this case written than done!), but it's important to do small things everyday that make a difference because that adds up soon enough. Look, the struggle is so real on a lot of people's parts including myself so please note, it's not just you! We all have things to work on, but let's do it smart. If we want to live a stress-free life we gotta do it right!

I'll leave you with a quote because I believe it's just one of those things that just speaks for itself, you know? Take a look and I wish you all the best in this journey to self-improvement!