subject: How To Eliminate Stress Before It Rears Its Ugly Head [print this page] One of the biggest problems in the lives of most people is often times the most silent. Stress is a leading factor in almost every illness today. The disturbing part about stress is that it doesn't present itself until it's too late. Heart disease, high blood pressure and sleepless nights are some common outcomes of untreated stress.This is dandy if you are a self employed billionaire and can do whatever you want, but chances are you aren't. Most of us are just struggling to make ends meet, and have to put up with a lot of aggravation without much choice due to our current situation. What do we do in that situation?First, it's important to realize that we don't ever absolutely have to do something. If you think of terms of doing something because you have to, it can become incredibly stressful. It can help to imagine the ultimate benefit you are going to receive for whatever it is you are doing. You have to withstand the daily rant of your boss so you can get a pocketful of money on Friday. You have to suffer through a long drive every day so you can afford to live where you live. When you train to think in terms of actions and benefits, you start to gain more power over your situation. We aren't slaves captured and whipped until we drop. We make our choices, we choose our actions, and we have to learn to live with them.Another idea that can help is that of expectation. When we are filled with expectations, these are translated into "shoulds" of how other people ought to behave, or what we "should" receive. But when we base our expectations only on our experience, and not on some imagined idea of how people should behave in an ideal world, we won't be disappointed. It also helps to keep this "realistic expectation" as neutral as possible. Don't expect free candy from everybody you see, but don't expect that everybody will steal your wallet given half the chance.One powerful way to build in this positive expectation is to negotiate everything before hand. When your boss gives you a task at work, be very clear what he or she is asking you to do, and get as much clarification as possible. Or when negotiate with yourself before you leave for work in the morning. Decide what time you'll get there if traffic is light, and what time you'll get there if traffic is heavy, and how you'll react either way. That way you won't be surprised either way.The largest creator of stress is the feeling that we are not in control and at the mercy of our environment. If we don't expect anything in particular, or we don't have a list in our heads of how others should behave, then we won't be disappointed, and our stress will naturally decrease.
How To Eliminate Stress Before It Rears Its Ugly Head
