Life can be beautiful, but it can also be challenging, filled with frequent changes. Sometimes we spend so much time planning or anticipating everything going as planned that we forget Murphy’s Law: anything that can go wrong will go wrong. This doesn’t mean that optimism doesn’t go far, but there are some things in life we just have to accept as stressful. Flat tires, unexpected medical bills, increases in car insurance premiums, basement flooding, a break-in, and the list goes on. When the unexpected happens, it can drain our energy and leave us in a mental slump. And that mental slump is no good when we’re all trying to preserve our body’s health through good exercise, clean eating, and essential wellness practices (meditation, positive affirmations). When these important disciplines begin to falter, so does our highly valuable peace of mind, leading to loads of stress. Let’s re-evaluate our outlook on the unpredictable, become highly adaptable to the circumstances, and stay on track.

Unexpected financial stress can be a mental burden on virtually everyone. It’s never easy or enjoyable to spend your hard-earned money on something unexpected like car issues. I recently had to spend over $2,000 on repairs on my car, an older model Mercedes in its teenage years. Every time I fixed one thing, something else would fall apart. Of course, I didn’t realize that when I got the car; it never gave me any issues aside from the occasional flat tire. But then one day, it all started to fall apart, and I realized that instead of trying to hold on to this car for sentimental value, I could easily break even and leave without draining any more money from my bank account. Priorities will adjust when you realize what’s more important. It doesn’t mean that I won’t look for another vehicle that I’ll find value in; it just means that I have to be highly adaptable to the circumstances and make that mental adjustment. After a few rounds of unexpected car issues, I started to develop the resilience I needed to walk away from that situation. Trust me, it’s never easy to separate a man from his car—that’s a special bond. There are plenty of other scenarios I’ve encountered recently, but this was the most significant. I’m sure you’ve experienced your own unpredictable financial moments and felt just as stressed and mentally distracted. Here are some strategies that can help with adapting to the unpredictable:

- Shop for food deals, coupons, and sales specials in your local grocery circular or online on sites like KrazyCouponLady.com.

- Monitor your spending and try to eat out less when possible.

- Downsize your bills by letting go of subscription plans that you may not even be using regularly.

- Switch your personal training program to adjust to your current circumstances, which can benefit you by keeping you consistent so you don’t have to drop out of training. Check out our services at www.missionfitnow.com/shop.

Time is one of the most valuable resources known to man. It is quite the asset to have, especially when it is limited, making it more precious. It can be stressful when unexpected events come up that cause your schedule to have constraints. Some events include mandatory jury duty, helping a friend or family member in an emergency, staying late at work, taking care of extra errands, unexpected work trips, and so on. This can be challenging when you start to feel overwhelmed by the lack of flow in your schedule, especially when you have meal prepping to do, workout sessions to accomplish, and mobility exercises to perform to help with pain relief. Here are some strategies that’ll help you during these busy times:

- Limit workouts to 15-30 minutes on most days and focus on moderate to high-intensity exercises that yield the most efficient results. Be sure to contact us directly at info@missionfitnow.com to inquire about our various training programs that may benefit your lifestyle.

- Focus on basic meal prepping that isn’t time-consuming, like this Roasted Chicken & Veggies Bowl. Check out the full recipe at https://www.missionfitnow.com/blog/roasted-chicken-and-veggies-recipe.

- Perform your mobility movements throughout the day as time permits. If you find yourself with a couple of minutes to spare, use that time to focus on releasing stress from your body through foam rolling or stretching.

- Don’t be afraid to ask for help from friends or family when you feel like you are taking on too many tasks and find yourself with your hands full. Whenever you can use someone else’s assistance, use it so you’re able to make time for your wellness.

Life is known to throw curveballs at the best of us, and it’s challenging not to lose your cool in the process. But trust me, you will lose your cool at least once in your life (once a day in my world), but you will grow from the experiences you face. Building up the mental strength to deal with life’s unpredictability will ensure that you live a purposeful life without unnecessary strife. It’s too easy to give up when things get hard, but you have to be mindful of the thoughts you feed yourself. You have to maintain a positive outlook despite the negativity you will face in life. Unpredictable events that lead to unfortunate circumstances are a part of life whether we like it or not. I’m not always the best at reacting, but I’m mindful of the consequences of draining my energy on things I cannot control. With that mindfulness, I’m able to reassess each unfortunate situation and try to make sense of it. I had to leave my ego out of the equation and stop asking myself, “Why me?” in self-pity. Once I realized that stress is something everyone will have to endure regardless of when or where, it became easier to make that mental shift. Here are some practices you can employ when stress starts to become unbearable:

- Remind yourself that you are only human and are subject to the chaos that the universe may present you. Sometimes the best you can do is just exist. Not every situation will require you to do anything actively; sometimes simply enduring unpredictable and unfortunate events is enough.

- Mental relaxation in the form of meditation, positive affirmations, visualizations, and breathing techniques can all help reduce your stress levels. Focus on employing at least one of these practices daily for at least 10 minutes to reap the benefits.

- Having a strong support system helps. Even if it’s only one person, you need to talk to others during times when you feel stressed about issues that you may not have much control over. Sometimes just being able to vent to someone who won’t judge you can help with making that mental switch.

There are so many more scenarios and strategies that we will discuss in further blogs, we have only began to scratch the surface. Learning how to adapt your mood to the circumstances given to you can make a big difference in your life. Your personal success is routed in your ability to keep on fighting, to not give up, to endure. This is not an easy feat, it will taken willpower, discipline, self-belief, faith, encouragement and so much more. If you’re willing to go the distance and try to improve yourself everyday, you will be satisfied with the results. We may not be able to control every aspect of life but what we can control, we will. Enjoy your day!