Tweet

OVERCOMING STRESS

Written by: Jonathan Payne

Article Overview: In dealing with stress, we can invest our energy in moving ourselves forward by taking positive action about the things that worry us, or we can just burn energy by worrying.

OVERCOMING STRESS

Whatever did we do with ourselves before stress? How did we find a reason for all our ailments, explain our ratty behaviour? What did doctors used to tell us was wrong with us?

I guess stress has been around ever since Adam and Eve were evicted from Eden (major stress event – homeless, unemployed). But only in the past few years have we recognized it as a major problem. It is now given as the reason for a multitude of illnesses and life threatening conditions. It really is mean. A health care practitioner told me recently that stress depletes the very vitamins we need to overcome stress – now that thought stresses me!

Some stress is good. It is stress that provides the life saving danger signals our forebears needed for survival. “There’s a lion – run!” In short bursts and for the right reasons stress can be a very useful additive. But the constant, sustained level of stress so many suffer is not good.

If stress is a response to danger it makes me wonder whether we have a sense, perhaps subconsciously, of being in constant danger and so are constantly stressed.

When life changes quickly and unpredictably the future can feel dangerous. I guess negotiating turbulent white water on a raft generates stress for the right reasons. But when life feels like a white water ride the stress never ends.

There is the danger of not succeeding, the danger of losing face, the danger of being “found out”, the danger of what will happen when the mask finally slips. Is it a constant sense of danger that keeps us in constant stress?

If we want to beat it, we have to know our enemy. Think about the things you see as dangerous. Are these a source of stress for you? How can you look at these things differently, with more trust in your ability? What is the truth behind your stress? What are you worrying about?

Now comes the hard part. If you know what is worrying you – what are you going to do about it? It is almost certain that no one else is going to do something about it, so what plans do you have in place to resolve it? And if you can do nothing about it – what benefit do you gain from worrying about it?

The question comes down to how we use our energy. Bad stress is bad use of energy. Our energy for life is depleted without accomplishing anything. We can invest our energy in moving ourselves forward by taking positive action about the things that worry us, or we can just burn energy by worrying.

Related Articles
  Stress And Personal Mastery
  Overcoming Objections
  Overcoming Stress In 5 Simple Ways
  Simple Strategies to Defeat Any Challenge
  Overcoming Adversity in Business Takes a Positive Attitude

Article Tags: adam and eve, ailments, constant danger, danger signals, doctors, eden, forebears, health care practitioner, illnesses, level of stress, life changes, lion, losing face, mask, multitude, raft, sense of danger, source of stress, vitamins, white water



Related Forum Posts


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

SEO – Link Building Secrets

Is the iPad useful? One CEO tells all ....

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.