It’s natural to feel stress from time to time. That is how we learn and grow. However, more and more people seem to be stuck in a state of high stress all the time. This week I am outlining 6 reasons why and what you can do about it. Today I wanted to Blog about the first two reasons.

Reason 1 and 2

1.       Not identifying your stressor. You may feel stress in your body, something niggling away at you, but you aren’t quite sure what it is. Often people don’t ease their stress because they haven’t identified the core issue. Sit down with pen and paper and dialogue with the affected area of your body, whether it’s a stomach ache, a tense jaw, an overall feeling of exhaustion.

You may be amazed to discover what it is.  Since, you can’t get where you want to go until you know where you are, this is a mandatory first step.

Write down something that starts with “I am + the feeling or sensation”. E.g. “I am overwhelmed by the amount of things on my To Do list.”

2.       Not stating an ideal outcome. Many people know their stressor, but all they do is focus on that. They complain, they blame, they dissect the problem from many angles, but never think about what they’d like instead.

Albert Einstein once said “You can’t solve a problem with the same mind set that created it.” This step is about choosing a different mind set. As such, be sure to choose something that you can control such as your attitude, your habits, or how you focus your time, instead of something like the weather or the economy.

Always start the sentence with “I have chosen to be…” This reminds you that you can use your imagination to choose your attitudes. E.g. “I have chosen to be at ease and confident about dealing with my To Do list.” This step prepares your mind for new ideas.