THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT STRESS

The good news about stress is that most of our stress is self-generated. How do we create our own stress? We create the stress response in our bodies by resisting "what is" in our lives. We argue with our life circumstances. For example, we might tell ourselves we want a different job, or that we should get paid more, or that we shouldn't weigh so much (or so little), or that we need to be somewhere else rather than stuck in traffic. This resistance tells our bodies that we need to be prepared to fight the circumstances and thus creates a stress response in the body. Each resistance to a circumstance adds up, which can then result in a high level of ongoing or chronic stress.

Does any of the above sound familiar? For the coming week, take note of all the things in your life that you resist, whether they are temporary (such as a traffic jam) or ongoing. Keep a log or journal of these circumstances so you will have them in mind when we look at how to manage your stress related to resistance. You may wish to prioritize the circumstances in terms of the frequency or magnitude to help you decide what to address first.

So get going on taking note of the circumstances you resist in your life and tune in next week for information on starting to take control and creating less stress for yourself.