Weight. Whether it be with your job, self image, school, relationships or friendships, everybody is trying their best to succeed in all of the areas of life they face every day. People deal with the stress that life brings them in different ways. Either by lashing out, staying quiet, showing no emotion, wanting to be alone or the need of constant reassurance, etc. We often forget that although we may be going through rough patches personally, others are also trying their best to make it through their struggles. And your bests cannot be compared. Because some people may be giving all they have, even if that seems like so little to others.

At times it feels like all of life’s problems are ganging up on you. You feel like you can’t catch a break and keep getting hit with problem after problem. Instead of focusing on each bad thing that keeps hurling towards you, focus on the good things throughout your day, even the smallest things. Force yourself into creating a mindset of positivity. According to Healthline, it takes “an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.” Make the good outweigh the bad. The weight we carry doesn’t have to be pushing us to the point of exhaustion.

Some ways that I’ve dealt with stress and anxiety is by spending time outside, listening to podcasts from people who have major influences on my life, in my case Emma Chamberlain’s podcast, anything goes. She has a variety of different topics varying from surface level to deep heartfelt discussions. Other ways i’ve dealt with stress is by painting, spending time with people who I enjoy being around, etc. It might not be an automatic mood changer and ways to cope differ for each and every person, but find what makes you happy. What relieves YOUR stress.

The weight that we withhold doesn’t need to be as heavy as we perceive it to be. Some of what we carry might seem much lighter when compared to the situations of others. But your weight should not and does not need to be compared in order to “allow” yourself the comfortability and sadness that these tolls might hold over you. One of my favorite quotes from an anonymous post is, “Some days will be harder than others but it is totally fine. We don’t always need something beautiful, instead it is about the realistic impression of making it today and surviving for the future.”