In the American Psychological Association's 2010 report**, "Stress in America: Our Health at Risk," 1,226 people from the U.S. ranked their stress levels and thought about how the state we call stress (as opposed to the state we call well-being) relates to their body health.
39% said that their overall stress levels had increased in the past year, and 44% said that theirs had increased over the past five years.
Money (76%), work (70%) and the economy (65%), family responsibilities (58%), peer and family relationship issues (55%) and personal health/body concerns (52%) are the top of the list as sources of stress for Americans.
69% of people said they recognize the importance of managing their stress.
But - here is a bigger issue - only 32% (one-third!) of all respondents believe they are doing well at managing it!
While most people agreed that making lifestyle changes (exercising, proper nutrition, enough sleep and other solutions that were named) could reduce stress, a huge number of people were just... too stressed out to start making any changes right now!
What happens to us, in the long run, if we have stress but don't do anything about it?
We experience:
· a lack of mental and physical energy
· decreases in willpower (to eat, sleep, exercise and relate to others in a positive ways)
· feeling irritable, angry or depressed
· beating ourselves up for poor performance
· a body loaded with muscle tension and even illness
·...among a long list of other symptoms...
It may not surprise you to discover from this report that people of all age groups and from both sexes report stress - and the same people report real lack of ability to deal with it fully (i.e. to get rid of it for good.)
No - eating, while watching TV, while talking with a friend on the phone, while overseeing the kids homework, while lazing on the sofa is not good management of stress!
And no - multi-tasking on the job by talking on the phone, while typing your document, while having lunch at your desk, while fielding incoming visitors to your office - also does not alleviate the stress of needing to be seen as "productive" at work!
Okay. No surprises really for any of my readers about Stress in America!
What is our solution?
First - identify the source. I can easily do that now and even identify the source of ALL stress.
Stress is very simple to define: "Feelings that got bottled up." That's it: A large number of tangled and negative feelings.
Stress is never only one feeling, but a collection of many tangled, wound up, mixed up and negative feelings - working against you to sabotage your well-being.
Yes: Feelings you hold onto eventually lash out at you.
You have feelings about
· your overall life success
· people in your life
· your life goals and your decisions for today
· activities you can/must do
· your body and how it feels to be in it and how it responds to you in various activities
· politicians and celebrities you've never met
·...the list goes on...
I could name a few of the commonly-experienced feelings in this Stress Collection, just so we are on the same page:
FrustrationIrritationAngerWorry or ConfusionDepression or SadnessPride or ArroganceBoredomAnxietyGriefApathyPanic or FearHate or Extreme DislikeDistrust or BetrayalLust or CravingLaziness
We have experienced all or most of these feelings (and dozens of others!). But we collected them - they belong to us, oh yes!
Where are all these feelings?
By collecting them, we shoved them into a place I will call the Subconscious Mind. Once feelings are stuffed into that space, we forget about them. But they don't ever forget about us!
It is as though they stalk us, waiting for an opportunity to pounce. And they do indeed pounce - especially at times we face a challenge in our life:
His spouse asks for a divorce. Our unmarried teenage child gets pregnant. He loses the job, in an uncertain market. She is suddenly hospitalized, without insurance. He didn't make the sale...again. The kids are out of control...again. She's lost her keys, wallet and all her payment cards...again. The car breaks down and you have no cash for repairs. His performance review was negative.
Life happens!
Then those hidden feelings surge up and gang up on us in a whirlwind of reactivity.
Our minds spin. Our emotions put us on a roller-coaster ride.
We can't think straight, but we are pushed to react and often make things worse when we do!
THAT, my friend, is stress in action!
Do you get the idea that once you've reacted, it is already too late? At least it is too late to prevent a bad situation...
So, again, what is the solution?
Take action. The only viable, reliable, permanently effective action to take is to eliminate all your stored feelings!
This is not about meditating or praying - these are greatly comforting things to do, but they only allow you to float over the top of the hidden feelings.
Eliminate - Release - all those sabotaging, stress-causing feelings.
ARC-A Realized Community presents a complete training program which will show you exactly how to identify a feeling (lots of them - all of them!), and let it go from that Subconscious Mind of yours for good.
As you let go of more and more negative feelings and emotions, the reactivity from them is also gone.
The tension from them is permanently relaxed. Quite the opposite of stress, right?
Your mind gets free of that clutter called Confusion and Irritability and you no longer react - but act - from Clarity, Objectivity, Knowingness and Mental Calm. The very opposite of stress, right?
When the tensions and stresses are removed, your physical body heals as well. Health is your natural physical state - which you recover with ease. The compulsive eating, chronic pains, illnesses and tiredness dissolve. Your body feels more relaxed and younger, more energized, better able to respond.
Will your spouse still burn toast? Will you still have bills to pay? Probably! But none of Life that Happens will stir you up and get you on that emotional roller coaster - EVER again!
Survey cited: **American Psychological Association, The Stress in America Survey, August 3 and 27, 2010.
Tamma Ford is Programs Leader at ARC-A Realized Community which presents the self-growth work of American Master Lester Levenson (1909-1994). She is author of "God's Pen: Lessons on Life and Light, A Journal", and numerous e-books and articles.
ARC's core program is designed to help anyone easily identify and let go - permanently - of thoughts and feelings ('ego') that interfere with living a smoothly happy life. Doing this work quickly gets noticeable results and has been effective in improving happiness levels, creating harmony and flow in life, creating better health and more abundance for anyone...and this work called 'releasing ego' leads to a totally Quiet Mind if that is your goal.
The complete process is taught in ARC's 'Foundational Course for Living Your Potential' home study course and shows you how to truly master your life! See more at http://www.arealizedcommunity.com/.
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