You do have a choice. It just may make others uncomfortable. You don’t have to listen to the news. You don’t have to keep engaging in that uncomfortable relationship. You don’t have to do everything on your to-do list. Seriously. Think about what is not essential that’s causing you stress and stop doing it. Life is too damn short if you ask me. Why waste it on activities that deplete your energy, make you angry, and leave you with regrets for everything you didn’t do? Just stop. Reevaluate your life right now and get rid of everything that’s stressing you out.
I came up with this concept long ago when I first started feeling sick with what I did not know at the time, was autoimmune disease. I had no choice in the matter really. My health depended on it. I was living life in a chronic fight or flight state and I was headed down hill fast. So, I told myself I had to stop doing so much. I simply had to let go of obligations, strict routines, and even basic self-care practices. This was because I simply had no energy. Then, after I recovered and regained my strength, I realized that the world did not end when I stopped doing so much. In fact, it actually started to slow down with me. Less demands were being asked of me and I had so much more time to enjoy my life. So stop allowing yourself to take on so much and simply learn to say no.