|
Instant Stress Management Articles |
Instant Stress Management Principle #2: Imagination is Stronger than Knowledge |
Read this page carefully and bookmark it for future reference. |
|||
|
Instant Stress Management Home
|
We all know that ghosts do not exist, at least most
of us do. Yet when sitting
around a campfire and listening to ghost stories most of us, even strong
unbelievers in the supernatural, will get spooked.
This is not because the people around the campfire suddenly
became believers in ghosts but because our imagination overcame our
knowledge and released the chemicals in our body that goes with fear.
Our imagination trumped our knowledge. Most of our stress occurs before the actual event
that is supposed to cause stress. For
example, if there is a presentation that you have to give to your office
or class, it will cause most people a good deal of stress way before the
actual presentation. However, if you suddenly discover that you are
moving to a different office or school and your upcoming presentation
doesn’t matter anymore, then suddenly the stress you were feeling will
decrease tremendously. This
means that your experience of stress before the actual event was
dictated by your perception. i.e.
by your imagination. In dealing with any event, how you imagine it to be,
will influence your levels of stress.
You may know there is nothing to worry about when the boss or
principal calls you to his or her office.
Yet your imagination will often provide you with reasons to feel
stressed. Imagination
always trumps knowledge. You can use this knowledge about the power of your
imagination to your advantage. If
your imagination can create imagery in your head that creates a stress
response, you can also do the opposite. Imagine your presentation going smoothly or that
the audience is indifferent to you and will forget you as soon as you
leave the stage, then your stress will decrease. If you enjoy talking to
a crowd then just imagine yourself having fun and being in tune with
your audience without being too caught up in their reaction (takes some
of the pressure off). Imagine yourself relaxing on the beach while you
are waiting to talk to your boss and this will help you stay relaxed.
You will also have more of your mental resources available to you
to tackle a problem if that is that you have been called for.
Imagination may be stronger than knowledge yet imagination can be brought under your control in many situations. So, knowledge of the power of your imagination can be empowering for you if you apply this knowledge to the proper circumstances. This will decrease your stress in most situations you will encounter.
|
|