Giving Myself Grace

Recently, I have been STRESSED. I am getting ready to graduate in a couple weeks and with that comes multiple tests and assignments as well as working on preparation for me to move across the country and to start a new adult job.

I think I am doing a fairly good job of managing my stress but, sometimes it is overwhelming, especially when I have 100 things on my plate that need done in the next month. I have found that if I let my stress continue to grow without dealing with it, I tend to get really overwhelmed and shut down. In the past couple weeks, I have been trying to be more gentle on myself and give myself grace.

Giving yourself grace can be different to anyone but these are some of the ways I have been giving myself grace to deal with my stress recently. If I am tired, I go to sleep early. If I don’t feel like doing a full hour at the gym, I go for a walk outside. If I am feeling overwhelmed while studying, I give myself an hour to step away and do something that takes my mind off school. If I am too exhausted to cook dinner, I allow myself to get something quick and easy and not feel guilty about it.

As a grad student, I realize I have really high expectations for myself. I have also noticed that those high expectations can cause a lot of stress in my life if I am not “perfect.” Giving myself grace has allowed me to be easier on myself and not take everything so hard when it is not done 100% in the way that I expect.

Just doing these small changes during my day-to-day life, has actually made me more productive and motivated when things need to get done. I am no longer trying to be in control of everything but I am allowing myself some leniency on getting things done and trying to take care of myself in the process. Giving myself the grace that I deserve has been a lifesaver in the past few weeks and will continue to help me through this really stressful time in my life.

Have you ever needed to give yourself grace in a time of stress? In what ways do you do that?