KB109 -Most of your stress is self-inflicted.

Harsh Truths
Super Harsh Truths To Help You Start 2025 with a Bang!

Welcome to Part Seven of my 12-part “Super Harsh Truth Series” for this festive season!

Over the next 12 days, leading right up to New Year’s Eve, I’ll be dropping daily truth bombs to challenge your mindset, spark action, and help you gear up for an incredible 2025.

My goal?

To give you at least one game-changing insight each day that you can take into the new year, laying the groundwork for a year you’ll indeed be proud of!

Let’s dive into #7: “Most of your stress is self-inflicted.”

#7 - Most of your stress is self-inflicted.

Here’s a hard pill to swallow

The majority of your stress isn’t caused by life’s circumstances…

it’s caused by you.

Overthinking, overcommitting, and overreacting are the real culprits, not the world around you.

If you’re drowning in stress, it’s because you’re pouring water into your own boat.

Overthinking? You’re turning small problems into massive obstacles in your mind.

Overcommitting? You’re saying yes to everything, leaving no time for yourself.

Overreacting? You’re treating minor inconveniences like catastrophes.

You’re not stressed because life is impossible…

You’re stressed because you keep making it harder than it has to be.

Let’s break it down:

Overthinking:
Stress doesn’t come from the situation; it comes from the story you tell yourself about it. You create endless “what if” scenarios, rehearse worst-case outcomes, and obsess over things that may never happen. Your mind is turning a molehill into a mountain, and you’re exhausting yourself, climbing a peak that doesn’t even exist.

The truth: Most things you’re worried about will never happen. And even if they do, you’ll handle them. Stop making your thoughts your reality.

Overcommitting:
You’re stressed because you’re stretched too thin. You say yes to everything—work, social events, responsibilities—because you fear disappointing people. But every time you overcommit to others, you undercommit to yourself. Your stress isn’t a result of being busy; it’s a result of not knowing when to say no.

The truth: You don’t need to do everything to be valuable. Protect your time and energy like they’re the most precious things you own because they are.

Overreacting:
Not every setback is a disaster, and not every inconvenience needs to ruin your day. But when you overreact, you magnify small issues into major stressors. Spilled coffee isn’t a crisis. A bad email isn’t the end of the world. Yet here you are, spiralling over things that barely matter.

The truth: Stress is often just your emotions running wild. Pause, breathe, and regain control before reacting.

Why this matters:

Stress is stealing your energy, focus, and peace of mind—and you’re letting it.

You’re the one overthinking problems, overloading your schedule, and overreacting to every bump in the road.

If you want less stress, you need to stop being your own worst enemy.

What can you do?

1. Simplify your thoughts. Ask yourself: “Is this as big a deal as I’m making it?”

2. Set boundaries. Start saying no to commitments that don’t serve your goals or your peace.

3. Control your reactions. Before you panic, ask: “Will this matter in a week, a month, or a year?”

Ask yourself:

• How much of your stress comes from actual problems versus your reaction to them?

• What commitments could you eliminate today to make your life easier?

• How often do you create unnecessary stress by letting your mind run unchecked?

The bottom line:

Most of your stress is self-inflicted.

Life isn’t out to get you; you’re just making it harder than it needs to be.

Stop overthinking problems that aren’t real.

Stop overcommitting to things that drain you.

Stop overreacting to minor issues.

Stress doesn’t magically disappear; it fades when you stop feeding it.

Take control of your thoughts, your time, and your reactions.

You’ll be amazed at how much lighter life feels when you step out of your own way.

Simplify. Focus. Let go.