PVC Mental Strategy 22

Stress Less

We all know that unwanted stress causes havoc on the mind and body. To be successful, you must manage your stress, or it will negatively impact your life and swimming performance. One solution is to incorporate the Seven Spheres into your daily routine. If you recall, we focused on this strategy earlier in the PVC program. But there are other ways to reduces stress, including letting go of things that annoy you. I did some research online and discovered some of the most common annoyances:

• People who are chronically late.
• People who text when driving.
• People who cut in and out of traffic.
• Slow internet.
• People who don’t wear face masks.
• A fly or mosquito that buzzes around when you’re trying to sleep.
• People who snore loudly.
• People who chew out loud when they eat.
• A dropped cell phone call.
• People who don’t flush.
• People who suddenly stop in front of you to look at their cell phones.
• People who don’t observe social distancing rules.
• Heavy traffic.
• People who whine.
• People who drive slow in the passing lane.
• People who talk over you when you’re talking.
• A missing sock.
• Misplaced keys.
• People who sneeze or cough without covering their mouths.
• People who don’t pick up after their pets.
• People who hold up the line at Starbucks (or elsewhere) because they aren’t ready to order.
• People who continuously fiddle with the car radio.
• People who talk in movie theaters.
• Ringing cell phones in movie theaters.
• A lack of outlets to charge a phone or computer.
• People who are never wrong.
• People who invade your personal space.
• People who barge into your room without knocking.
• People who burp out loud and don’t excuse themselves.
• Having to wait forever in a doctor’s office

Now that you’ve read the sample list of annoyances, it’s time for you to make your own. Once complete, your challenge is to remain calm and not react to them for the next six days. Doing so will lower your stress level and be better for your mind and body.