Stress is a very popular complaint today. People often complain they feel stressed. What is 'Stress'? People often use the word 'stress' when they mean pressure. For many people, including health professionals, pressure and stress have become synonymous. Stress is even diagnosed as a disorder or illness. This is neither an accurate or healthy perception.
Pressure is the application of force on something or someone. With this definition, you can see pressure is neither good nor bad. The right amount of pressure when exercising can develop your muscles, tone your body and make you look attractive. Pressure can be good for you. You are always going to have some type of pressure in your life.
Many people thrive on pressure - even stress. Many people are under very high pressure all day every day, yet they don't feel stressed at all. They interpret their surroundings and employment as something they love doing. For them, this pressure gives an exhilarating sense of competence and accomplishment. In this form of pressure, you might feel 'in the zone' or 'turned onto' a situation.
However, psychological or spiritual stress is harmful to you. So, when does pressure turn into stress? The short answer is: never. Pressure is always pressure. People often interpret pressure as stress. This interpretation takes place in your mind. As a society we have turned what is a normal interpretive process into something we call 'Stress'. This stress is a very normal reaction to the interpretation of certain pressures in your life. This 'stress' also obscures the choices you can see available and you start to lose your power.
When you feel forced to do something you don't want to do or you interpret something you're doing as damaging or painful, you begin to resist it. We've all heard someone complain about being a 'wage-slave' and how they feel trapped in employment they are resisting. If you are in this situation, you are going to work with a heightened level of tension in your body, which feels uncomfortable. This is the feeling of being disempowered. Naturally, you start resisting this tension and you lose harmony or acceptance.
Your blood pressure starts to climb, your cortisol levels increase and that's the physical danger of this form of damaging stress. Mentally, you also lose sight of the choices available to you. Instead of thinking about a change of employment where you could connect emotionally and feel more peace, you force yourself to go to work to 'pay the bills' and eventually you are affected physically. You can even get very sick. Cardiac illness, diabetes and stroke are much higher in people who live with high levels of stress.
Your stress will disappear immediately whenever you fully accept any activity you are doing. It is not the activity that gives you stress. It is your interpretation of the pressure you experience. When you experience stress, you are communicating to yourself at a very deep level that perhaps you shouldn't be doing something. It is a sign that something is out of sync for you.
Whenever you accept fully whatever you are involved in, you take back your own power. Your stress levels are reduced immediately. After accepting whatever is happening and you want to change it, that's ok. You are empowered to change things.
Take back your own power and say "okay, I'm accepting this situation right here right now and I would like to do something else now." You have harmonised your energy, empowered yourself and things start to shift. From this clear space, you begin to see hope and new opportunities.
Tips for Getting Rid of Stress
Become Authentic - Get real, get authentic and focus on getting really honest about who you are and what you want to do in life. Apply a great degree of self-honesty. If you are lying to yourself at some level, even unconsciously, that will keep you from being fully present in whatever you are doing. This translates into stress.
Be present here and now - Breathing techniques will help you become present to this moment, here and now. You can be fully accepting of the situation, even if you don't like it. When you are fully present, you can change the situation more skillfully. More resources become available to you.
Notice what strengths you've been enjoying doing and keep doing those to the best of your abilities - Reflect on what you are good at and on what you enjoy doing. Those are your strengths. Build on those strengths. Focus on those things, rather than on things you think you should be better at. Work on your strengths so that you become all that you can be.
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