How Could You Eliminate or Reduce Stress in Your Life
You know the Serenity Prayer?
“God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.”
Most of us are very big on control.
But an important element of not becoming a control freak and stress about everything is just asking yourself, “Can I do anything about this?”
If you can, DO it.
If you can’t… then you can’t.
But worrying achieves nothing but stress.
So much of what worries you are things that you have no control over.
If you're planning a trip tomorrow and you're worried about it raining and ruining it, no amount of you stressing about it is going to change whether it rains or not.
Not only you are going to be happier if you can make the distinction between what you can change and can’t change... but if you focus your energy only on what you can change, you’re going to be a lot more productive and effective.
Here’s a quick visual to help get the point across:
So... we ask you today to think for yourself...
How could you eliminate or reduce stress in your life?
Here's Our Suggestion:
Next time you’re worrying, pause and ask yourself, “Do I have control over this?”
If you do, stop worrying and get to work.
If you don’t have control, worrying won’t make it better.
So stress, anger and worrying are irrational responses and they’re not the right way to react to life.
Now It's Your Turn
We can’t wait to read your comment and get inspired.
And until then...
Recently I organised a wonderful online sport event in Coronatime. It was an event that connected people, stimulated people to think in a different way and to help each other to step out of their comfort zone. I was very proud of the energy that came free, which gave me an overdoses of positive energy that stimulated to go on.
Unfortunately there were also some issues that costed a lot of negative energy. So much that it wore me out. Attempts to solve them didn’t work and that put me into a lot of unnecessary stress. Instead of choosing for myself and stop my participation, I consciously chose for the event. Because I believed in it and it made so many people happy. Do I regret this choice? Yes, because I was not able to avoid the stress that almost wore me out. No, because I learned a hard but very valuable lesson from it and I’m still proud of what we’ve achieved. Will I do it again this way? No!
Since then I force myself to think a few days about every request I get before I say yes or no. I ask myself: do I like to do this? Why? Under which conditions? Does it fit in my goals? Who do I work with? Can somebody else do it? etc.
This makes that I am more focused now and aware of the choices I make. And I try to accept that sometimes things are what they are and if I can’t change it, I can accept it or… leave it!
The most important thing for me is the right mindset, which comes out so well in the drawing. Sometimes, however, there is some stress (already) in my body. Then I turn my attention to my body and become aware of how I am. Then I go and do something physical: For example, go for a walk, do a simple exercise, take three conscious breaths, whatever, and that actually always helps.
That’s such a great input Ben. Thanks so much for your contribution on this topic
Yes! I love this visual. So funny!
I eliminate stress by realising that the thought I have is really about me, and NOT about what I think stresses me out.
So, I stop and ask myself what is really going on? What is it that I am resisting or not accepting – which is the same ofcourse.
It takes honesty, it takes kindness and sometimes a kick in the b*tt – my b*tt :-D.
Thanks Manny for your honest and wonderful contribution
So simple, so hard… I love that graph!
Thanks Robbert…
Mijn lichaamskracht neemt onherroepelijk af door mijn spierziekte, daar kan ik niets aan veranderen. Ondertussen moet ik mij steeds weer aanpassen aan de nieuwe mogelijkheden en onmogelijkheden die mijn achteruitgang met zich meebrengt. Ik doe dus beide ; accepteren dat wat er niet meer is en wat ik helaas niet kan veranderen. En vechten om alles er uit te halen wat nog wel mogelijk is met nieuwe hulpmiddelen of een invulling te geven aan van dat wat ik ben verloren.
I am certainly inspired by the reasoning that if you cannot change it, do not worry about it. However, I sometimes feel I am worry about something, and the decision is not clear to me if it is something I can change or not. It is like I can do something about a part of it, but it might change and even grow in the mean time.
Thanks Tineke for your honest input.
Here’s something that might help… as long as you can’t find a solution to what worries you, it might be that it something that is not in your control and you can’t solve it… so… let it go…
Stay in the moment there is no stress.
Stress in another word for fear.
You can only be afraid of something in the future.
If something happens in the moment than Act !!
Thanks Bert for your valuable input.
Staying in the NOW is so powerful
I experience stress when I am not clear on what I can do to solve the problem if I feel I do have control over it. So the solution is to just take a moment, sit down and think about this instead of having the problem come up in my mind ever so often.
Thanks Elske for your input on how you deal with stress
Bring my attention (back) to the goal, to the desired outcome.
Thanks Daniel for your contribution.
I believe that on a more fundamental level, it’s important to understand that stress is always the physical expression of a mental evaluation that is happening or has happened. It is only when we become conscious of this constant e-valuation of our subconscious, that we can truly start to understand our observable reactions, and change them at the core.
As Jung pointed out: ‘Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.’
Thanks for the article.
Thanks Bert for this valuable addition to the issue
Thank you for the blog. It’s a wonderful reminder.
A thing which always helps me is getting up, going outside, and just go for a walk.
Thanks Jules for this wonderful contribution. This is so true, sometimes the simplest things can make the biggest change
I have tried this, but it’s a long journey, I haven’t mastered it at all yet. The best that has worked for me so far, is to do “something” that really puts me in the present. That can be playing an instrument, listen to music or a meditation or to do a work out.
Thanks Annemiek for this wonderful contribution.
Playing music is a wonderful way of bring us into the NOW
Sometimes I worry about somethings in my life and it keeps spinning in my head. I Raise my hand and while I do it I say stop it…… And I think of somethings that makes me feel happy. Or brings a smile on my face. And mostly it is my grandson I think about who turns the spinning in my head into a happy joyful feeling.
That’s a great way of dealing with it Lydia.
Thank you for sharing it with us
To reduce stress I listen to various recordings of lectures of teachers I admire. And when thinking does not give me a clear answer, and it becomes worrying I have to (try to) stop thinking about it, and then not take action just yet. But I do struggle with this.
Thanks Sylvia for your honest and wonderful input.
It’s a great way to reduce stress, however, if this doesn’t help you, next time try to listen to relaxing music or even to just sound of nature….
The idea is to relax the MIND not stimulate it…
What you focus on grows.
When I get stressed out, I get out of the situation, escape to nature, to calm down, realizing that it brings me in a calm state and I realize, it is all about mindset. How it is written above.
Thanks Jur for your valuable input.
Nature is definitely one of the BEST places to reduce stress and bring us back into harmony with life