After the passing of her brother, Janet Birkey felt the desire to live her life as he did: with joy and full of things that would bring her happiness. She always knew she wanted to go back to school to finish her degree, and went on to finish her bachelor’s degree and to get her master’s and a doctorate in counseling.
It’s really important for us to share the stress that we’re under so people around us can understand what we’re going through.
A phrase that Janet uses with her dog Max that is applicable in her counseling life is “Leave it!” When we get distracted by things that other people are doing that shouldn’t affect us, just mentally say, “leave it!” and keep on walking. Not everything deserves the depth of attention that we are giving it.
It’s very hard to develop an attitude of appreciation and gratitude if you can’t let go of the things that bother you.
Stress is not a cause, it is a symptom.
What is one thing we can do today, to lower our stress?
Sit down at the end of the day and say, what was I grateful for today?