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4 Principles for Instant Stress Management
1 - Every Thought Affects the Body as Well
Years of scientific study have proven conclusively that the mind and body are interrelated. In a feature in Time Magazine it is written, "Not only is the mind like the rest of the body, but the well-being of one is intimately intertwined with that of the other. This makes sense because they share the same systems? nervous, circulatory, endocrine and immune. What happens in the pancreas or liver can directly affect brain function. Disorders of the brain, conversely, can send out biochemical shock waves that disturb the rest of the body. "The article is called "Your Mind, Your Body" published in the issue dated Sunday, Jan. 12, 2003.
Since your mind does affect your body, which means it influences chemicals that are released in to your body, you can reduce your stress with JUST your mind. Remember, every thought affects the body as well.
It is important to become aware of your thoughts. If you are thinking negative thoughts then your brain is releasing chemicals, which are sustaining negative emotions in your body. All negative emotions have a bad effect on your mind-body in the long run. So, regular stressful thoughts WILL make your immune system weaker and your body will experience the negative effects of stress. Catch yourself when you are thinking negative thoughts and you have made a good positive first step. Direct your mind on to a positive outlook and you have taken the second step needed to directing your thoughts in a way that will reduce your stress.
How can you create a positive outlook? By focusing on a positive aspect of the situation you are faced with.
For example; If you have to clean a whole sink of dirty dishes it can seem like a lot of boring work. However, if you focus on how the dishes will look when they are cleaned and put away band how good YOU will feel about it at that time, THEN you are focusing on a positive outcome. If you keep in mind that you thoughts will affect your body then you can learn to keep watch on your thoughts. By keeping your thoughts positive or at least neutral, you keep yourself fresher and more energized.
In conclusion, if you focus on a positive outcome, the task you are doing will become easier and therefore less stressful. Learning to manage your thoughts and focusing on the positive in any given situation is an extremely important stress management skill.
2 - Imagination is Stronger Than Knowledge
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.
3 - What You Expect Tends To Be Realized
Many of us will make up in the morning not wanting to wake up. Breakfast may not be good or we find ourselves in the middle of morning traffic. This is enough to make us feel like it is going to be a bad day. So it is. Everything that can be seen in a negative light IS seen that way.
If you start the day genuinely saying, "I feel wonder, relaxed and refreshed," and maintain this attitude then the minor inconveniences of the day will bounce off your skin as if they are trivial, which, from a perspective, they are.
"As you sow, so shall you reap," says the famous bible verse. So to keep yourself in a state of mind where most stressful events will bounce off your skin all you have to do is maintain a positive attitude and positive expectations. Of course don't overdo the positive expectations. Just say and feel like, 'no matter what happens it is a part of your day and you can deal with it easily'. This will keep you relaxed and poised.
There is an old story that might be appropriate here.
There was a farmer whose horse ran away. All his neighbors came by to say how sorry they were at his misfortune. All he said was, "We shall see". Next, his horse returns fallen by a group of wild horses. His neighbors congratulate on his good fortune and the farmer once again says, "We shall see". Then his son falls off the same horse and breaks his leg. The neighbors once again exclaim at his misfortune and once again he says, "We shall see". In a few days the army comes by collecting young men for a war. The farmer's son was ignored as his leg was broken. His neighbors congratulate him and all he says is, "We shall see".
Notice that in this story every event of the day or week did not make the farmer giddy with happiness or depressed at having a bad day. He maintained an open positive attitude and didn't let the events of the day get to him. Of course this may seem a little extreme to some but you get the idea.
In conclusion, if you expect yourself to handle a given situation with ease then your stress will decrease. If you expect yourself to handle a situation with difficulty but still able to come out fine then your stress levels will also stay down. If you take every event of the day or week as something extremely important, bad or good, that too will increase your stress. What you expect will create your day around you.
If you start the day genuinely saying, "I feel wonder, relaxed and refreshed," and maintain this attitude then the minor inconveniences of the day will bounce off your skin as if they are trivial, which, from a perspective, they are.
"As you sow, so shall you reap," says the famous bible verse. So to keep yourself in a state of mind where most stressful events will bounce off your skin all you have to do is maintain a positive attitude and positive expectations. Of course don't overdo the positive expectations. Just say and feel like, 'no matter what happens it is a part of your day and you can deal with it easily'. This will keep you relaxed and poised.
There is an old story that might be appropriate here.
There was a farmer whose horse ran away. All his neighbors came by to say how sorry they were at his misfortune. All he said was, "We shall see". Next, his horse returns fallen by a group of wild horses. His neighbors congratulate on his good fortune and the farmer once again says, "We shall see". Then his son falls off the same horse and breaks his leg. The neighbors once again exclaim at his misfortune and once again he says, "We shall see". In a few days the army comes by collecting young men for a war. The farmer's son was ignored as his leg was broken. His neighbors congratulate him and all he says is, "We shall see".
Notice that in this story every event of the day or week did not make the farmer giddy with happiness or depressed at having a bad day. He maintained an open positive attitude and didn't let the events of the day get to him. Of course this may seem a little extreme to some but you get the idea.
In conclusion, if you expect yourself to handle a given situation with ease then your stress will decrease. If you expect yourself to handle a situation with difficulty but still able to come out fine then your stress levels will also stay down. If you take every event of the day or week as something extremely important, bad or good, that too will increase your stress. What you expect will create your day around you.
4 - What You Resist The Most Stays With You
Have you noticed that when you try to avoid something it keeps happening? For example, you could be saying to yourself that you will not get angry over a traffic jam but you still do. Or maybe you are trying not to yawn so you don't give off the impression of getting bored, but often you fine that you need to yawn almost nonstop.
If you imagine something stressful you feel stressed. For example; imagine having to wake up extra early to attend a seminar or having to work through a 10 mile traffic jam. On the other hand, if you imagine something relaxing you feel relaxed for example; imagine laying back on the beach or a picnic in a park. This aspect of how your mind works make it clear that the images you have on your mind will influence your mind body system.
When you are trying very hard to resist something, then what you are resisting will be on your mind. i.e. You have to keep an image or thought in your mind of what you are resisting to be able to resist it. If you don't do this then you won't know what you are trying to resist. So by the very act of resisting an idea or thought you end up keeping it on your mind so what you resist must stay with you.
Here is another example; Imagine that you meet a person who says to you that he/she will give you a $1000 if you don't think of a pink elephant all day. Of course, this is a really weird thing for anyone to say and I'm sure you don't spend your time thinking of something as random as a pink elephant. However, trying to resist that image of a pink elephant with a thousand dollars on the line would be almost impossible. Once again, what you resist tends to stay with you.
To apply this to stress management just realize that if you are trying very hard to resist something that may cause you stress then you end up feeling more stress in relation to it. Instead, what you need to do is practice an alternative form that you find relaxing.
Instead of resisting something, accept it and focus on something more appropriate. This will help you deal with stress better in all aspects of your life.
If you imagine something stressful you feel stressed. For example; imagine having to wake up extra early to attend a seminar or having to work through a 10 mile traffic jam. On the other hand, if you imagine something relaxing you feel relaxed for example; imagine laying back on the beach or a picnic in a park. This aspect of how your mind works make it clear that the images you have on your mind will influence your mind body system.
When you are trying very hard to resist something, then what you are resisting will be on your mind. i.e. You have to keep an image or thought in your mind of what you are resisting to be able to resist it. If you don't do this then you won't know what you are trying to resist. So by the very act of resisting an idea or thought you end up keeping it on your mind so what you resist must stay with you.
Here is another example; Imagine that you meet a person who says to you that he/she will give you a $1000 if you don't think of a pink elephant all day. Of course, this is a really weird thing for anyone to say and I'm sure you don't spend your time thinking of something as random as a pink elephant. However, trying to resist that image of a pink elephant with a thousand dollars on the line would be almost impossible. Once again, what you resist tends to stay with you.
To apply this to stress management just realize that if you are trying very hard to resist something that may cause you stress then you end up feeling more stress in relation to it. Instead, what you need to do is practice an alternative form that you find relaxing.
Instead of resisting something, accept it and focus on something more appropriate. This will help you deal with stress better in all aspects of your life.