Stress Management: Relax and Trust You'll Get What You Need

I'd like to share a stressful personal experience that ended up better than I could have imagined - a common life occurrence.  A not often discussed Stress Management tool when difficulties arise, is to fully feel your emotions, then let go of control and trust things to work out.  Be open to all possibilities, and know you'll get what you need.  As a friend said about my "cashew butter" story, we're not forgotten in any moment. 

 

So - I went to Trader Joe's to find out they no longer sell Cashew Butter (it was the cheapest place to buy it).  This is one of my favorite foods.  I was INFURIATED, and completely blown away.  I couldn't get over this, for hours!  What a loss!  (This was big, as I have food allergies and a limited diet to begin with.)  

 

In the aisle at that moment, I heard a voice ask, "Do you have a food processor?"  I turned around to see a man who looks like my superintendent's double.  I said, "Yes, why?"  He said, "I make my own cashew butter.  Just put in a little oil and it comes out fine."  I said, "Do you use roasted or raw nuts?"  He said, "Roasted."  So I went up the aisle and bought 2 1-lb. bags of roasted cashew pieces.

 

I got home and whipped out my food processor.  I threw in a bag of the cashews, processed, and Voila!!  Cashew butter!!  That tastes good!  And I didn't even have to add the oil.  I was amazed!  And the one bag, at $3.99, filled an old 1-lb. cashew butter jar that would have cost me $4.49 (at Trader Joe's vs. at least $7 in any other store).  So now I was no longer infuriated.  I felt grateful, happy, proud of my new talent, and thrilled that man (who is not actually my super's brother) was standing there at that exact moment in Trader Joe's.  

 

This was no coincidence.  The universe conspired to create these exact circumstances - no one could have planned it better.  So I went from fury, to shock, to curiosity, to determination and to gratitude and relaxation in a few hours, and went to sleep knowing I had been well taken care of.  And if you look in your own life, you'll find similar circumstances.  There really is a silver lining in every cloud.  You just have to trust it will reveal itself.  So if you have such stories, or good recipes for nut butters, please share them in a comment below!