Before looking at how we can reduce stress in our lives, let's first recognize that some stress is good. Stress is what gets us out of bed in the morning to go to work. When we feel stressed about our finances that can be the catalyst to force us to begin making better financial decisions. The same is true with our health. When stress causes us to make positive changes in our lives and doesn't last too long, that's a good thing. Good stress is called eustress, and we need a certain measure of that in our lives to help us function properly.
However, much of the stress in our lives is not positive. That negative stress can lead to physical and emotional problems and can greatly limit our ability to function if not addressed. This kind of stress comes when we feel annoyed, threatened, frightened, worried, angered, challenged or frustrated. Much of our stress comes from our own minds. That's what makes dealing with stress so difficult: much of it can't be acted upon because they only exist in our minds. It's the way we think about things that brings about the stress.
Obviously, in a blog post we can't cover everything we can do to reduce the stress in our lives. The best book I have in my library that addresses stress is Norman Wright's book Success over Stress: 12 Ways to Take Back Your Life. I will give you some tips to get you started.
Some say the best way to reduce stress in your life is to turn off the evening news. I think there's a lot of truth in that! The media is focused on reporting the negative events of the day. Just think...there are literally thousands of stories every day they could report on, but they choose the negative ones that fit their particular biases. If you listen to and believe everything they say, you will get stress overload.
There's a principle behind that suggestion though that we do not want to miss. To reduce stress we have to filter what goes into our thinking. Garbage-in, garbage-out is the computer term. If we consistently take in negative information and allow negative thoughts to dominate we will be stressed. We have to be careful about the media we watch, the books we read, the friends we listen to and the things we say to ourselves if we want to reduce stress.
Another important step is to reevaluate how you measure success. A lot of people are stressed over what they perceive to be a lack of success in their lives. Some very successful people believe they don't measure up. They compare themselves to others and wonder why they don't have what other people have in life. You are not Superman or Superwoman. You are the person God created you to be. Embrace that.
Take control of your life. If you want to reduce stress, you must control your calendar, your computer, your time, your phone. You may have obligations to an employer in how you use your time and these other items, but you do not have to be a slave to them. It's OK to not answer the phone when you are having family dinner. Voice mail will take care of that. It's OK to not respond to something on social media when you read something you disagree with. It's OK to just check email a couple of times a day. If you do not take control of your life, others will, and they will not have the same priorities for your life that you do.
Learn to say no. It's an easy word to pronounce, and it is a complete sentence. You are seldom under any obligation to explain your no to anyone. You may want to stand in front of a mirror each morning and practice saying no. You'll be surprised at how much stress learning that one word will eliminate.
Reducing stress in our lives is a choice each of us must make if we want to live healthier, more productive lives. It can be done if we choose to do so.
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