De-Stress Zone

Todays Thought

As I study the topic of stress and learn some of its causes, I am repeatedly reminded that stress can cause illness and disease. I am also learning that there is an acceptable, even healthy, amount of day-to-day stress. In other words too much stress on a regular basis can cause us to become ill if we do not take action to counter it's effect upon us. However too little stress can also cause us to become ill. For instance if you have a dull, mundane, repetitive job which offers no new challenge, this can result in a lot of tension and stress that you are maybe not aware of. On the other hand you may have a job which presents new demands every day and the pressures go way beyond your ability to manage or accomplish what needs to be done. Multiple studies have shown that somewhere between these two extremes is a healthy area.

If you have a job that is boring, dull and un-challenging, one thing you might do is to ask for some added responsibility. If you experience the other extreme, and it is within your power to do so, try delegating some of your tasks to others. Sometimes we can say no but are afraid of how that might be perceived. You aren't doing yourself or anyone else any favors if you cannot give your tasks the attention required, or leave tasks half completed.

One of the biggest causes of job stress is the inability or unwillingness of people to properly communicate thier needs, desires, and expectations.

Subject: the real you

"Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you
feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes
the inner voice which says, 'This is the real me,' and when
you have found that attitude, follow it." - William James

A Little Exercise

A little exercise that can have tremendous benefit is to keep a list for about 24-48 hours. Break your day into 15-30 min. intervals, and write down all the things that you become aware make you stressed, upset, anxious or nervous. We all call lifes stressors by many names. Once you have done this for one or two days, take a look and begin to place the things that upset you into like categories. Then begin by choosing little repeat stressors or worries, and make a decision whether these are things you can begin to let go of. Does worry and stress over these things make a difference? Does it accomplish anything? What if anything can I change. Am I proactive or reactive.
Sometimes when we take an honest look at what we react so strongly to, it almost seems silly. Other things are far from silly but we can begin to respond rather than react, and begin to make positive changes.
For example, no one can make me mad. My behavior is my choice. I can choose to react with anger or I can choose not to let that person have power over me. Remember that it took years to form our reactive habits, you can't expect to change over night. Start small, start with the things that seem simple and work your way up. Most of all don't beat yourself up if you fail. Think of it as practice, and try again.

Love Thyself

The Bible says that we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Many of ue were raised with the idea that we must be all sacrificing. That we must always consider the needs of others above and before our own needs. This philosophy keeps many of us in a constant state of stress, especially women who were raised to meet the needs of everyone else first, before satisfying her own needs. I believe that God would have us find a balance, to be kind, considerate, thoughtful and mindful of those around us, but to also extend those things to ourselves.
Make the choice to be good to yourself, to say no when others make high demands upon your time and energies. Love yourself the way you were raised to love others. Be kind to yourself, give yourself time out or time off now and then. Give yourself time to refresh. You'll have more to give to others and to yourself, if you take time to refresh and replenish.

More on Change

Resolve to be a master of change rather than a victim of
change.
-Brian Tracy

Change can be one of the biggest stressors. A stressor is defined as something with the potential to cause a stress reaction. I think Brians words are a good admonition.

Laughter a Good Medicine?

The Bible tells us that, "a merry heart does good like a medicine".
Norman Cousins in Anatomy of an Illness, wrote about the ability of laughter to reduce the inflamation in his joints. In his personal experiment he used movies, books etc. which promoted positive emotions and laughter. He said. "I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep". He was later able to go off pain drugs and sleeping pills completely. Cousins's story has scientific backing, research shows that ascorbic acid, which is produced by laughter, is very helpful in the recovery process.

Notes taken from, The Stress Management Sourcebook by J. Barton Cunningham, Ph.D.