source // giphy
Learning how to deal with stress is tricky - everyone has different coping mechanisms and different methods that they’ve come to develop after many instances of trial and error (and maybe one too many stress-induced breakdowns). What works for me, may not work for you. Some people love to have an intense sweat sesh to stave off the stress, whilst others prefer to chill out in bed with an ep of The Crown and a packet of Tim Tams (or two).
Don’t think you have to find a method right away or think that you should know how to respond best to stress straight away - over time, you’ll start to realise what methods work best for you and find out things that help you truly relax. One archetypal TV character that has taught us much about how to handle stress with grace, a stern expression and the occasional mishap is Marjorie Jacqueline Simpson a.k.a Marge Simpson. Between being the voice of the reason in the Simpson family, managing the Simpson household whilst raising 3 children and the occasional job.
“At times like this, I guess all you can do is laugh”
In this episode, Marge shows us that may seem like self-improvement and fitting in may not always be in our best interests - leaving us more stressed out than happy. We all fist-pumped as Marge successfully converted her suit into a dress despite an annoying Lisa jumping up and down yelling Mum in her ear, showing us that we can firstly, re-purpose Chanel suits into a fancy dress, and secondly, that we can focus on the task at hand despite competing demands from other people. Even after the dress self-destructs, Marge although initially freaks out, (I mean, it’s Chanel) she says “at times like this, I guess all you can do is laugh”, maintaining her cool with a blank-faced expression.
Cleaning Up After Others
You know when you’re doing a group assignment and your group members do absolutely nothing, or rather, create a big mess for you to clean up? Mmhmm, this is the feeling.
That Time Marge Was Losing her Hair
In one episode, Marge gets so stressed and overwhelmed with her family responsibilities that she starts losing her hair. We’re talking visible, large holes in her blue beehive. The unreasonable demands from Marge’s family members left her so stressed her hair started falling out in clumps. This is a gentle reminder that stress can affect us in ways we can’t predict, and sometimes we won’t even know we’re stressed.
When Marge Finally Cracks
In this episode called ‘Homer Alone’, a household where family members are too lazy to do things themselves proves too much for Marge to handle. If Marge’s monster roar in this episode is anything to go by, this episode reminds us that letting stress build up overtime and brushing it under the carpet can do more harm than good. Tackle the source of the stress before you have a meltdown.
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