Just Relax

We have a lot of expectations in our lives. We expect certain things out of our spouses, our children, our friendships, and our churches. We have been groomed to expect certain things for ourselves. 

We can get so very tense when anything goes slightly different than our “plan.” As parents, we can get irritated and frustrated quickly when our children slow us down, spit up all over their clean outfit, or do anything that deviates from the schedule we’d laid out in our heads.

We get in a hissy fit when our church changes the style of music it plays or drops a program from the schedule. Likewise, we put a lot of demands on our friendships and relationships.

There are certain codes of conduct that should always be maintained in life. Honesty, respect, compassion, courtesy. But sometimes the plain and simple fact is that we are too uptight. We’d enjoy people and circumstances so much better if we could simply learn to relax!  Flexibility is a great trait and it serves us well in life because we can adapt to situations much better. And life is all about throwing adventures and curve balls our way!

If we can talk to ourselves internally and prepare ourselves to handle things that may be out of our control, we will have a better outlook and attitude when they occur. We cannot control everything in our environment. In fact, we are lucky if we can control a few things in our environment. Our stresses and frustrations will ease off of our shoulders if we can relax more often and let ourselves accept those inconveniences and issues that aren’t in our “plan.” Oftentimes, great lessons and moments are to be found in the unplanned!

I know when I decide ahead of time to make the choice to have a flexible and relaxed attitude, I enjoy things much more. I can laugh easier, smile more, and realize that sometimes I pick battles where battles should not be picked.

In short, I’m happier when I lay my pride and my “demands” to the side and let life just naturally happen.

Being and feeling internally relaxed is more about a choice of the heart than it is about an outward appearance. It’s simply about being bendable, workable, and adaptable.  I want those qualities to be said about me. How about you?