You’ve got goals, deadlines, responsibilities, things that need to be done yesterday.
Pressure builds, you’re in a hurry, that unpleasant tension settles in across your forehead, in your shoulders, in the proverbial pit of your stomach.
I don't think any body loves pressure and stress, but so many people live with it.
But do you realise where the pressure comes from?
Is it your boss, your partner, your responsibilities, the government, the system …
… or is it you?
The outside has an influence, of course, but do you realise how much you bring to the party?
An incredibly important thing to see, because if the pressure comes from outside yourself it can become unbearable. You resent it, you get stressed, “I should” comes in, you feel like you have no control in your own life.
If you realise it’s you, and really only you that is responding to the outside … you have choice. You can choose to respond differently. You can free yourself of un-helpful pressure and stress.
Your expectations, demands, insistences, shoulds, goals, desires … it’s these when rigidly held that create the pressure reaction. What you focus on, grows. Seeing this clearly and adjusting where appropriate is the height of wisdom.
Just because everyone else is doing or believing something doesn’t mean you have to.
The outside will always push. Are you living life, or is it living you?