Relaxation Tip
Take a minute right now. Take a deep breath. Rotate your shoulders in small gentle circles forward five times and backward five times. Take another deep breath and feel the relaxation.
Loyalist students report that their number one health concerns are drugs and sex. Those two put together often create heartache for young adults. You tend to make choices and decisions sexually that you aren't happy with in the long term when you are "under the influence."
Some students use alcohol and other drugs to feel more at ease in social situations and decrease their stress. Remember though, if you don’t balance your use, you aren’t developing social skills or stress strategies, you are just developing drug habits. Use of any substance is going to be totally up to you. Using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs to deal with stress or just to experiment is your choice. If you think about it, when you are finished drinking or smoking or using, you are still stressed – you haven’t really dealt with the stress. As well, if you are using substances to deal with stress, you miss the opportunity to develop your own personal coping skills. 1. Binge drinking puts you at risk. (Binging is defined as 5 or more drinks in one session.) Every year students who thought it would never happen to them end up with alcohol poisoning. You are particularly at risk when you play drinking games. 2. Party smart and avoid binge drinking. Be creative – party drug and alcohol free. What a concept! 3. Learn to say NO. Don’t be led by the herd mentality. Be clear with yourself about making your own choices. No one makes you do anything at this point in your life. You are free to choose and free to be responsible for yourself.
If you are interested in seeking out other students who are interested in varied and exciting experiences that aren’t defined by alcohol, use our comments sections for ideas. It’s not about total abstinence, just allowing yourself a lot more choices about how often, how much and with whom you choose to drink.
OK so we've talked about sex and drugs. Where's the rock and roll? Well, apparently it will never die so it is out there somewhere. Go find it and enjoy!
At this site you can choose Substance Use to view information and charts about drug effects. http://www.canadianhealthnetwork.ca/
This site offer some good tips for “drinking smarts.” http://www.mta.ca/departments/sss/personal/booze.html 20 minute video about stress and drugs
This site offers a short animation series about tobacco.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/tobac-tabac/fact-fait/smoke-fumee2-eng.php
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Your Body Talks to You
Stress Tip
Get clues from your physical body as to how you are doing emotionally - unusual body aches that don’t go away – if you pay attention early on, you can usually connect some thoughts that are causing them and take the steps necessary to remedy the situation.
The Body/Mind Connection
Back in the day, people thought of their body and mind as very separate entities. We are now much more aware of the intricate connections. Our body deals with stress through both conscious and unconscious pathways which we are not always aware of. A thought in our mind leads to a reaction from our nervous system.
You might get a message from our body that you are feeling very fearful about a presentation to the class. You might get the “butterfly” feeling in your gut, feel sweaty, even nauseous. You can tell yourself, “I’m fine, I’m well prepared, there is no reason to be nervous.” This is a good way to talk back to your body to soothe it with thoughts that can challenge your brain's belief that it is in danger. Your body is, however, a more truthful indicator than your mind. If symptoms persist despite your rational thoughts, it is important to use a variety of techniques to soothe your body. That is why it is important to train yourself to be aware of the signals from your body.
Denying that stress is there does not make it go away. Stress tends to build and accumulate. If we don’t use some skills to decrease our stress level, we head into the next stressful situation with some leftover stress from the previous situation. Taking time during your day to take a few simple deep breaths, to slow down, stretch and pay attention are all good strategies for keeping stress at a good and manageable level. As you learn to pay attention, there is greater ability to discern between tension and relaxation and there are more options to do something about it.
Some very simple but powerful relaxation techniques include relaxation breathing and short visualizations. These are easy to learn, easy to impliment and easy to maintain as life time practices.
Very interesting research is being done in many scientific domains that show us how much our own thoughts and perceptions create our reality.
Thymus tapping to relieve stress
Get clues from your physical body as to how you are doing emotionally - unusual body aches that don’t go away – if you pay attention early on, you can usually connect some thoughts that are causing them and take the steps necessary to remedy the situation.
The Body/Mind Connection
Back in the day, people thought of their body and mind as very separate entities. We are now much more aware of the intricate connections. Our body deals with stress through both conscious and unconscious pathways which we are not always aware of. A thought in our mind leads to a reaction from our nervous system.
You might get a message from our body that you are feeling very fearful about a presentation to the class. You might get the “butterfly” feeling in your gut, feel sweaty, even nauseous. You can tell yourself, “I’m fine, I’m well prepared, there is no reason to be nervous.” This is a good way to talk back to your body to soothe it with thoughts that can challenge your brain's belief that it is in danger. Your body is, however, a more truthful indicator than your mind. If symptoms persist despite your rational thoughts, it is important to use a variety of techniques to soothe your body. That is why it is important to train yourself to be aware of the signals from your body.
Denying that stress is there does not make it go away. Stress tends to build and accumulate. If we don’t use some skills to decrease our stress level, we head into the next stressful situation with some leftover stress from the previous situation. Taking time during your day to take a few simple deep breaths, to slow down, stretch and pay attention are all good strategies for keeping stress at a good and manageable level. As you learn to pay attention, there is greater ability to discern between tension and relaxation and there are more options to do something about it.
Some very simple but powerful relaxation techniques include relaxation breathing and short visualizations. These are easy to learn, easy to impliment and easy to maintain as life time practices.
Very interesting research is being done in many scientific domains that show us how much our own thoughts and perceptions create our reality.
Thymus tapping to relieve stress
Monday, December 1, 2008
Mind Works
Destress Tip
This is one you can do while you are on the phone. Sit on the edge of a chair and straighten your left leg in front of you. Exhale and bend forward from your hips, keeping your back flat and chest lifted. Hold for 2 to 10 breaths. Do the same with your right leg.
The Workings of our Mind
This week I have copied some helpful information about how our minds work. This comes from an interview: A ROMP THROUGH THE QUANTUM FIELD with Gregg Braden and Dr. Bruce Lipton by Meryl Ann Butler. (See Link: http://www.opednews.com/articles/5/life_a_meryl_an_080214_a_romp_through_the_q.htm)
According to Dr. Bruce Lipton: “Our color-coded terror alert system has also been responsible for another serious consequence. In a state of fear, stress hormones change the flow of blood in the brain. Under normal, healthy situations, blood flow in the brain is preferentially focused in the forebrain, the site of conscious control. However, in stress, the forebrain blood vessels constrict, forcing the blood to the hindbrain, the center of subconscious reflex control. Simply, in fear mode we become more reactive and less intelligent.”
Meryl Ann Butler: In your workshop, you talked about how we receive stress information. Would you elaborate on that?
Bruce Lipton: Sure. The principle source of stress signals is the system’s central voice, the mind. The mind is like the driver of a vehicle.
If we employ good driving skills in managing our behaviors and dealing with our emotions, then we should anticipate a long, happy and productive life. In contrast, ineffective behaviors and dysfunctional emotional management, like a bad driver, stress the cellular vehicle, interfering with its performance and provoking a breakdown.
Stress information can come to the cell from the two separate minds that create the body’s controlling central voice.
The (self-) conscious mind is the thinking you; it is the creative mind that expresses free will. It’s the equivalent of a 40-bit processor in that it can handle the input from about 40 nerves per second. In contrast, the subconscious mind is a super computer loaded with a database of pre-programmed behaviors. It is a powerful 40-million-bit processor, interpreting and responding to over 40 million nerve impulses every second. Some programs are derived from genetics: these are our instincts. However, the vast majority of the subconscious programs are acquired through our developmental learning experiences. The subconscious mind is not a seat of reasoning nor creative consciousness, it is strictly a stimulus-response “play-back” device. When an environmental signal is perceived, the subconscious mind reflexively activates a previously-stored behavioral response — no thinking required!
The insidious part of the autopilot mechanism is that subconscious behaviors are programmed to engage without the control of, or the observation by, the conscious self. Neuroscientists have revealed that 95%-99% of our behavior is under the control of the subconscious mind. Consequently, we rarely observe these behaviors or much less know that they are even engaged.
We have been led to believe that by using willpower, we can override the negative programs of our subconscious mind. Unfortunately, to do that, one must keep a constant vigil on one’s own behavior.
There is no observing entity in the subconscious mind reviewing the behavioral tapes. The subconscious is strictly a record-playback machine. Consequently, there is no discernment as to whether a subconscious behavioral program is good or bad, it is just a tape. The moment you lapse in consciousness, the subconscious mind will automatically engage and play its previously-recorded, experience-based programs.
To read more from Dr. Bruce Lipton: www.brucelipton.com
From film “Waking Life” about Free Will
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VxQuPBX1_U
This is one you can do while you are on the phone. Sit on the edge of a chair and straighten your left leg in front of you. Exhale and bend forward from your hips, keeping your back flat and chest lifted. Hold for 2 to 10 breaths. Do the same with your right leg.
The Workings of our Mind
This week I have copied some helpful information about how our minds work. This comes from an interview: A ROMP THROUGH THE QUANTUM FIELD with Gregg Braden and Dr. Bruce Lipton by Meryl Ann Butler. (See Link: http://www.opednews.com/articles/5/life_a_meryl_an_080214_a_romp_through_the_q.htm)
According to Dr. Bruce Lipton: “Our color-coded terror alert system has also been responsible for another serious consequence. In a state of fear, stress hormones change the flow of blood in the brain. Under normal, healthy situations, blood flow in the brain is preferentially focused in the forebrain, the site of conscious control. However, in stress, the forebrain blood vessels constrict, forcing the blood to the hindbrain, the center of subconscious reflex control. Simply, in fear mode we become more reactive and less intelligent.”
Meryl Ann Butler: In your workshop, you talked about how we receive stress information. Would you elaborate on that?
Bruce Lipton: Sure. The principle source of stress signals is the system’s central voice, the mind. The mind is like the driver of a vehicle.
If we employ good driving skills in managing our behaviors and dealing with our emotions, then we should anticipate a long, happy and productive life. In contrast, ineffective behaviors and dysfunctional emotional management, like a bad driver, stress the cellular vehicle, interfering with its performance and provoking a breakdown.
Stress information can come to the cell from the two separate minds that create the body’s controlling central voice.
The (self-) conscious mind is the thinking you; it is the creative mind that expresses free will. It’s the equivalent of a 40-bit processor in that it can handle the input from about 40 nerves per second. In contrast, the subconscious mind is a super computer loaded with a database of pre-programmed behaviors. It is a powerful 40-million-bit processor, interpreting and responding to over 40 million nerve impulses every second. Some programs are derived from genetics: these are our instincts. However, the vast majority of the subconscious programs are acquired through our developmental learning experiences. The subconscious mind is not a seat of reasoning nor creative consciousness, it is strictly a stimulus-response “play-back” device. When an environmental signal is perceived, the subconscious mind reflexively activates a previously-stored behavioral response — no thinking required!
The insidious part of the autopilot mechanism is that subconscious behaviors are programmed to engage without the control of, or the observation by, the conscious self. Neuroscientists have revealed that 95%-99% of our behavior is under the control of the subconscious mind. Consequently, we rarely observe these behaviors or much less know that they are even engaged.
We have been led to believe that by using willpower, we can override the negative programs of our subconscious mind. Unfortunately, to do that, one must keep a constant vigil on one’s own behavior.
There is no observing entity in the subconscious mind reviewing the behavioral tapes. The subconscious is strictly a record-playback machine. Consequently, there is no discernment as to whether a subconscious behavioral program is good or bad, it is just a tape. The moment you lapse in consciousness, the subconscious mind will automatically engage and play its previously-recorded, experience-based programs.
To read more from Dr. Bruce Lipton: www.brucelipton.com
From film “Waking Life” about Free Will
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VxQuPBX1_U
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Move Your Stress
Quick Tip
When you feel stressed, a flood of hormones races throughout your system. One very simple and rapid way to change this situation is taking 3-5 slow, deep breaths. This will rapidly reduce the levels in your bloodstream which are causing you to be unable to think clearly.
Physical fitness is the cornerstone of all wellness. Developing and maintaining an active lifestyle is critical to your greatest chance of success in all endeavours. No matter what your physical abilities; whether you have chronic pain or are in a wheelchair or hate the idea of going to a gym, finding your own personal path to being physically fit will affect all of the other realms of your life.
Exercise can actually increase your stress threshold. This means you can handle more stress when you maintain an active lifestyle.
Physical exercise is one of the most powerful “drugs” you can give yourself to keep your mind and body going strong.
Go for a walk, join a kick boxing class, dance at home. If you have specific barriers which make it difficult for you to walk or dance or do yoga, find ways to move whatever parts of your body you can move.
It is important to exercise for good health and well being, not just to lose weight.
You might want to try working out in the morning at the fitness centre before classes so you can feel energized for the day.
When you understand how important physical activity is to a strong, healthy mind, you will never again decide you don’t have time for exercise because you have too much studying to do!
One of Natalie’s four part series
When you feel stressed, a flood of hormones races throughout your system. One very simple and rapid way to change this situation is taking 3-5 slow, deep breaths. This will rapidly reduce the levels in your bloodstream which are causing you to be unable to think clearly.
Physical fitness is the cornerstone of all wellness. Developing and maintaining an active lifestyle is critical to your greatest chance of success in all endeavours. No matter what your physical abilities; whether you have chronic pain or are in a wheelchair or hate the idea of going to a gym, finding your own personal path to being physically fit will affect all of the other realms of your life.
Exercise can actually increase your stress threshold. This means you can handle more stress when you maintain an active lifestyle.
Physical exercise is one of the most powerful “drugs” you can give yourself to keep your mind and body going strong.
Go for a walk, join a kick boxing class, dance at home. If you have specific barriers which make it difficult for you to walk or dance or do yoga, find ways to move whatever parts of your body you can move.
It is important to exercise for good health and well being, not just to lose weight.
You might want to try working out in the morning at the fitness centre before classes so you can feel energized for the day.
When you understand how important physical activity is to a strong, healthy mind, you will never again decide you don’t have time for exercise because you have too much studying to do!
One of Natalie’s four part series
Test Anxiety
Nov. National Addiction Awareness
Celebrate the joy of an addictions-free life and increase your awareness of the struggles of others who have an addiction. www.naaw.net
Relaxation Tip
Place one hand on your belly. Breathe slowly and deeply. Feel your hand rise and fall. Let your shoulders drop and feel your body relax and renew. Relaxation has a cumulative effect. If you include a brief period of relaxation into your daily schedule, your body’s ability to relax will increase.
Test and assignment anxiety?
You are not alone. Most students feel some level of anxiety before presentations, tests and exams. It is only when the level of anxiety you experience actually affects your marks that it becomes a problem. Reach out for support early.
Supports
1.Your Student Success Mentors can help you with study skills and time management.
2.Peer tutoring is available for students.
3.Our Mind and Wellness Nurse teaches relaxation techniques every Tues and Thurs from 1-1:30 in the Student Success Hub
4.We have counselors you can talk with if your anxiety is overwhelming you.
You can book an appointment for any of these services through Jodie at the Student Success Hub.
If you are aware that you have a problem with test anxiety, let your teacher know in plenty of time (days) before any testing begins. There may be other options to evaluate your knowledge or performance within the subject matter. If you have a specific disability (learning disability, mental illness, etc) you can use a quiet test area if you arrange this with your instructors beforehand.
Test preparation to reduce anxiety:
•Approach the exam with confident attitude.
•Use whatever strategies you can to personalize success: visualization, logic, talking to yourself, practice, team work, journaling, etc.
•Be prepared! Learn your material thoroughly and organize what materials you will need for the test. Use a checklist if you need to.
•Choose a comfortable location for taking the test with good lighting and minimal distractions
•Allow yourself plenty of time, especially to do things you need to do before the test and still get there a little early
•Do not cram. The time before a test is better spent doing a relaxation exercise which will increase oxygen flow to your brain so it will function at its best
•Strive for a relaxed state of concentration
•Avoid speaking with any students who have not prepared and express anxiety – it really is contagious so surround yourself with the more confident, relaxed students
•A program of exercise will keep your mind sharp
•Get a good night's sleep the night before the exam
•Don't go to the exam with an empty stomach. Fresh fruits and vegetables reduce stress. Stressful foods can include processed foods, artificial sweeteners, carbonated soft drinks, chocolate, eggs, fried foods, junk foods, pork, red meat, sugar, white flour products, chips and similar snack foods, foods containing preservatives or heavy spices
•Take a small snack, or some other nourishment to help take your mind off of your anxiety. Avoid high sugar content (candy) which may aggravate your condition
During the test:
•Read the directions carefully
•Change positions to help you relax
•If you go blank, take a relaxing breath, skip the question and go on
•If you're taking an essay test and you go blank on the whole test, take a slow, deep breath, pick a question and start writing anything. You have just given your brain some fresh oxygen and just the act of starting to write may trigger your newly energized brain to feed you the information you need
•Don't panic when students start handing in their papers. There's no reward for being the first done.
•Take slow, deep breaths throughout the test
•Don't think about the fear
•Pause: think about the next step and keep on task, step by step
•Use positive reinforcement for yourself: Acknowledge that you have done, and are doing, your best
•Expect some anxiety. The adrenaline can actually provide energy. Just keep it manageable
About test anxiety from a counselor at an American university –
Celebrate the joy of an addictions-free life and increase your awareness of the struggles of others who have an addiction. www.naaw.net
Relaxation Tip
Place one hand on your belly. Breathe slowly and deeply. Feel your hand rise and fall. Let your shoulders drop and feel your body relax and renew. Relaxation has a cumulative effect. If you include a brief period of relaxation into your daily schedule, your body’s ability to relax will increase.
Test and assignment anxiety?
You are not alone. Most students feel some level of anxiety before presentations, tests and exams. It is only when the level of anxiety you experience actually affects your marks that it becomes a problem. Reach out for support early.
Supports
1.Your Student Success Mentors can help you with study skills and time management.
2.Peer tutoring is available for students.
3.Our Mind and Wellness Nurse teaches relaxation techniques every Tues and Thurs from 1-1:30 in the Student Success Hub
4.We have counselors you can talk with if your anxiety is overwhelming you.
You can book an appointment for any of these services through Jodie at the Student Success Hub.
If you are aware that you have a problem with test anxiety, let your teacher know in plenty of time (days) before any testing begins. There may be other options to evaluate your knowledge or performance within the subject matter. If you have a specific disability (learning disability, mental illness, etc) you can use a quiet test area if you arrange this with your instructors beforehand.
Test preparation to reduce anxiety:
•Approach the exam with confident attitude.
•Use whatever strategies you can to personalize success: visualization, logic, talking to yourself, practice, team work, journaling, etc.
•Be prepared! Learn your material thoroughly and organize what materials you will need for the test. Use a checklist if you need to.
•Choose a comfortable location for taking the test with good lighting and minimal distractions
•Allow yourself plenty of time, especially to do things you need to do before the test and still get there a little early
•Do not cram. The time before a test is better spent doing a relaxation exercise which will increase oxygen flow to your brain so it will function at its best
•Strive for a relaxed state of concentration
•Avoid speaking with any students who have not prepared and express anxiety – it really is contagious so surround yourself with the more confident, relaxed students
•A program of exercise will keep your mind sharp
•Get a good night's sleep the night before the exam
•Don't go to the exam with an empty stomach. Fresh fruits and vegetables reduce stress. Stressful foods can include processed foods, artificial sweeteners, carbonated soft drinks, chocolate, eggs, fried foods, junk foods, pork, red meat, sugar, white flour products, chips and similar snack foods, foods containing preservatives or heavy spices
•Take a small snack, or some other nourishment to help take your mind off of your anxiety. Avoid high sugar content (candy) which may aggravate your condition
During the test:
•Read the directions carefully
•Change positions to help you relax
•If you go blank, take a relaxing breath, skip the question and go on
•If you're taking an essay test and you go blank on the whole test, take a slow, deep breath, pick a question and start writing anything. You have just given your brain some fresh oxygen and just the act of starting to write may trigger your newly energized brain to feed you the information you need
•Don't panic when students start handing in their papers. There's no reward for being the first done.
•Take slow, deep breaths throughout the test
•Don't think about the fear
•Pause: think about the next step and keep on task, step by step
•Use positive reinforcement for yourself: Acknowledge that you have done, and are doing, your best
•Expect some anxiety. The adrenaline can actually provide energy. Just keep it manageable
About test anxiety from a counselor at an American university –
Social Scene Stresses
Keep a tennis ball or stress ball handy in your back pack or at your study desk. Take off your shoes and rub your feet over the ball for a relaxing foot massage.
Making Friends
The “Social Scene” can be one of life’s great delights AND one of its biggest stressors.
College is a place where you can make life-long friends or where you can simply enjoy some light social contact with fellow students before you head back to family and well known friends.
Whichever is the case for you; friends are one of the great joys in life. One very important factor that determines how healthy a person is happens to be friendships. Studies show that people who have good supportive friends are ill less often and have greater longevity!
Try one or two of these tips:
1. Commit to speaking to one new person every day this week. Or, at least commit to smiling at one person every day and see what happens. Studies show that behaving in a happy way (eg. smiling) can actually promote the feeling of happiness.
2. Be comfortable and be yourself. Other students are just as nervous as you are. Trying to appear something you are not sets you up for discomfort.
3. If you want to make friends – be a friend – offer your help – lend a pen – participate in school sponsored events, set up study groups or meet for coffee.
4. If you are living in res – leave your door open – invite people in for a snack. Don’t use up all your time communicating by email with old friends from home – take some time to get out and meet some new people.
5. Good friends push us to develop the best in ourselves. Encourage others.
6. Like yourself – if you don’t, it is hard for others to spend time with you.
7. Call someone on the phone to share something you think they may find interesting.
8. Develop a variety of interests. This makes you an interesting person to be with.
9. Find activities that enrich your life that you enjoy doing alone. People who can enjoy their own company are not desperate to have people around all the time and tend to make better friends
You can check out this site for ideas on how to develop some friendships, resolve conflicts and improve your communication skills.
http://dev.iamnext.com/people/makefriend.html
Young man gives good info on stress and shows his dragon breathing stress reliever
Making Friends
The “Social Scene” can be one of life’s great delights AND one of its biggest stressors.
College is a place where you can make life-long friends or where you can simply enjoy some light social contact with fellow students before you head back to family and well known friends.
Whichever is the case for you; friends are one of the great joys in life. One very important factor that determines how healthy a person is happens to be friendships. Studies show that people who have good supportive friends are ill less often and have greater longevity!
Try one or two of these tips:
1. Commit to speaking to one new person every day this week. Or, at least commit to smiling at one person every day and see what happens. Studies show that behaving in a happy way (eg. smiling) can actually promote the feeling of happiness.
2. Be comfortable and be yourself. Other students are just as nervous as you are. Trying to appear something you are not sets you up for discomfort.
3. If you want to make friends – be a friend – offer your help – lend a pen – participate in school sponsored events, set up study groups or meet for coffee.
4. If you are living in res – leave your door open – invite people in for a snack. Don’t use up all your time communicating by email with old friends from home – take some time to get out and meet some new people.
5. Good friends push us to develop the best in ourselves. Encourage others.
6. Like yourself – if you don’t, it is hard for others to spend time with you.
7. Call someone on the phone to share something you think they may find interesting.
8. Develop a variety of interests. This makes you an interesting person to be with.
9. Find activities that enrich your life that you enjoy doing alone. People who can enjoy their own company are not desperate to have people around all the time and tend to make better friends
You can check out this site for ideas on how to develop some friendships, resolve conflicts and improve your communication skills.
http://dev.iamnext.com/people/makefriend.html
Young man gives good info on stress and shows his dragon breathing stress reliever
Like Your Attitude?
Never underestimate the simple power of the deep breath. Start with a couple of times each day to begin to program your mind. Pick the same time each day and attach it to something you already do regularly - like when you turn on a light or get into your car or eat lunch or stop at a red light. Take that moment you have decided on and just take a deep, intentful breath.
Attitudes
“As the famed stress researcher Dr. Bruce McEwen has pointed out, a key determining factor triggering the stress response is the way a person perceives a situation. We ourselves give events their meaning, depending on our personal histories, temperament, physical condition and state of mind at the moment we experience them. Thus the degree to which we’re stressed may depend less on external circumstances than on how well we are able to take care of ourselves physically and emotionally.
For human beings most stressors are emotional ones.” (In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate)
The goal is not eliminating all of your stresses. It is much more relaxing to think about getting control of them, one at a time. Think about making small changes. If you can change your routine so there is just a slight difference between what you used to do and what change you expect, you have a much better chance at long term success. If you want to try to get to bed earlier, start with a five minute change. Successful change is permanent, not dramatic.
Life is 10 % what happens to you and 90% how you react to what happens.
Beware the language of stress. “This job stresses me out so much.” “She/he stresses me out.” These statements infer that we are powerless – it is the situation or the job or a person rather than how we are reacting to those things. Try making slight language changes that reflect the reality. “I feel stressed by my job or that driver.” This is not an opportunity to blame ourselves, but rather to acknowledge the reality – stress IS mostly about how we are reacting.
Don't let the stress of the day build up and carry to the next. A fresh start is so necessary for a good day. Stress can be so insidious – it can just creep up on you. It’s like the frog story. It is said that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will never jump out.
Two part series talks about how perception is a major part of causing stress
Attitudes
“As the famed stress researcher Dr. Bruce McEwen has pointed out, a key determining factor triggering the stress response is the way a person perceives a situation. We ourselves give events their meaning, depending on our personal histories, temperament, physical condition and state of mind at the moment we experience them. Thus the degree to which we’re stressed may depend less on external circumstances than on how well we are able to take care of ourselves physically and emotionally.
For human beings most stressors are emotional ones.” (In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate)
The goal is not eliminating all of your stresses. It is much more relaxing to think about getting control of them, one at a time. Think about making small changes. If you can change your routine so there is just a slight difference between what you used to do and what change you expect, you have a much better chance at long term success. If you want to try to get to bed earlier, start with a five minute change. Successful change is permanent, not dramatic.
Life is 10 % what happens to you and 90% how you react to what happens.
Beware the language of stress. “This job stresses me out so much.” “She/he stresses me out.” These statements infer that we are powerless – it is the situation or the job or a person rather than how we are reacting to those things. Try making slight language changes that reflect the reality. “I feel stressed by my job or that driver.” This is not an opportunity to blame ourselves, but rather to acknowledge the reality – stress IS mostly about how we are reacting.
Don't let the stress of the day build up and carry to the next. A fresh start is so necessary for a good day. Stress can be so insidious – it can just creep up on you. It’s like the frog story. It is said that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will never jump out.
Two part series talks about how perception is a major part of causing stress
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)