I look forward to you joining me in my weekly musings as I contemplate this journey called life. I’ve started this blog as an online extension of my book, Stop the Stress Habit. I enjoyed writing that book and I embrace this opportunity to return to writing and sharing my perspectives. As I talk about in Stop the Stress Habit, I like to twist the typical point of view and present the challenge to see things from a new perspective. Changing perspective, or point of view, is a big help in shifting our reality a bit and helps to reduce our experience of stress. Things that seemed overwhelming might appear more approachable once we shift our point of view. In Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) this shifting in perspective is referred to as “re-framing.” By learning to re-frame things, one can eventually avoid the dramas in life that sometime take us off course and prevent us from living with ease and joy, and in good health.
In this blog, I will cover a variety of topics related to healthy living which is my passion. I welcome your comments and look forward to the conversation. My plan is to keep these entries short enough to be a quick read but long enough to be of value! I’ll now get started with giving you something to think about.
Feeling a bit stressed?
If you pay attention to the news lately, it is easy to think the sky is falling and wonder if anything will ever turn around for the better. Maybe your thoughts are creating monsters in your mind. (Click here for a great cartoon to remind us how our imagination creates our monsters.) If you find the general global news is making you feel stressed it is important for you to know that the situation itself is not stressful – it is how that situation is perceived that creates the stress. (Be prepared to hear this phrase often in my blog — it is important!) As so well said by James Allen in As a Man Thinketh:
“A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a thought evolved being … he ceases to fuss and fume and worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast, serene … Keep your hand firmly on the helm of thought … Right Thought is mastery; Calmness is power.”
If how you think about current events is creating fear about the future, then most likely you will feel stressed. Remember, it is your thoughts that are creating this stress. Chances are, right now, right this very moment, you are safe and physically secure. Basically, our stress is self-induced from our mind playing out future scenes—the scenarios we create in our thoughts and imagination. So, how do you minimize the stress you feel from just listening to the news?
STEP 1: First off, turn of the news: just stop listening to it so often. A short dose of news once a day is all that is needed to make sure you are aware of what is going on in the world. But, there is no need to listen to, or read, the same information over & over & over. Just tune out from the news feeds that are available 24/7! Start a new habit. Challenge yourself. Can you go 4 weeks with tuning into your favorite news media only one time each day? Try it and let me know how you feel.
STEP 2: Find something that makes you laugh or that brings you joy. When I am laughing or even just smiling, stress seems to melt away. When I find myself joyful at the bliss of the moment: seeing a rainbow, feeling exhilarated after a great bicycle ride, or just enjoying the sunshine as I watch the new baby geese floating in line between the mom & dad goose, then I am calm inside. All the cares of the world have no impact on me at that moment. When we are laughing or feeling joy, our focus is shifted to the present moment. It is hard to worry about the future when you are laughing! When you begin to notice your thoughts are playing “worry scenes”, shift your thoughts to something that brings you great joy. Instantly, you will feel your muscles relax and people will wonder why you have started smiling all of a sudden. Try it right now and any time you start to feel stress overwhelm you!
STEP 3: With all that is going on in the world, do you feel like the rug is being pulled out from under your feet? If so, then imagine that as your feet are in the air you are now flying to a wonderful place in life. And, know that this new change is for the better.
Here is a simple exercise from Stop the Stress Habit to help you shift out of a stressful state and land in a new wonderful place. Rather than thinking about a future you fear, change your thoughts to a future that only brings you happiness. Close your eyes. Shift your thoughts to a future you desire. It might be something within the next few hours, days, or years. Visualize yourself in the future you want. Imagine it in as much detail as you possibly can without worrying about the things you don’t have specifics for quite yet. Most importantly, do not worry about how it will be achieved; just focus on the outcome you desire.
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What does the location look like? What colors surround you? What is the temperature?
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How do you feel? Are you in good health and happy?
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Who is with you and how are they interacting with you
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What material things do you have? If job related, what income are you earning?
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What is the specific date and time of this situation?
Be as specific as possible in creating this vision. Write it down or draw a picture of this future.
Now come back to the present moment. How do you feel now that you have created a vision of this future? If you feel optimistic and excited about the future, you have succeeded in this practice session. If you still feel stressed about the future, go back and focus more on visualizing every detail of the future you desire.
By shifting your thoughts and perceptions to a future that fills you with happiness rather than with fear, you actually shift your physiology. This in turn will make you feel more at peace and less stressed. Enjoy your new perspective!
Namaste.