Do you ever feel like you’re in a pressure cooker?
A pressure cooker is:
- An airtight pot in which food can be cooked quickly under steam pressure.
- A highly stressful situation or assignment.
Sometimes I feel like the pressure builds and builds, and I feel as if I am going to blow. From what I have been told, the old pressure cookers could explode, too!
I have to stop and identify where I feel pressure from.
Do I feel pressure to clean the house?
Do I feel pressure to make meal after meal?
Do I feel pressure to do things that are not important to me but important to others?
Do I feel pressure of expectations that others have of me?
Do I feel pressure at my job?
Do I feel pressure in unhealthy relationships?
Do I feel pressure as a parent?
Am I adding pressure that is not rational?
Do I have unrealistic expectation of myself or others that causes pressure?
What is making this situation stressful and making my pressure build?
There have been many times in my life where I let the pressure build too much and have had a crisis in trying to deal with the pressure. As moms and wives and daughters and sisters, we can handle a lot, but sometimes we need to take a step back and let the pressure out or eliminate some of the pressure.
Identify what you are feeling and talk about it with someone. This releases some of the pressure you feel. Eliminate the things in your life that you do not have control over; this will eliminate pressure, too.
Make a list of what you CAN do and compare it with a list of what you think you have to do. You can only do so much; sometimes the pressure comes from our expectations and they are not realistic.
Take a deep breath, pray, meditate, and seek help. Asking for help and better understanding can alleviate some pressure, too. Don’t let the pressure build.
Do the best you can, where you are with what you’ve got. You’ve got this.
