Feeling Stressed Out?

Stress can be the most annoying feeling a person can have, or annoying those around you. Sometimes it's obvious what/who/why we are stressed. A foreclosure, a job loss, two parking tickets in one day, etc. Other times, we can't pinpoint what exactly is causing this irritable feeling, we just know that it is affecting us, negatively.

Perhaps it feels as though there is nothing you can do about your stress level. The bills aren’t going to stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all your errands, and your career responsibilities will always be demanding. But, you have a lot more control than you might think. In fact, the simple realization that YOU are in control of your life is the foundation of stress management.

Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun – plus the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on. My next sequence of blogs are dedicated to reducing, preventing and coping with stress. Here is step one for our de-stressing adventure.

Identifying the sources of stress in your life
This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your true sources of stress aren’t always obvious, and it’s all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sure, you may know that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines. But maybe it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that leads to deadline stress.

To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses:

• Do you explain away stress as temporary (“I just have so much to do today”) even though you can’t remember the last time you took a breather and just relaxed?

• Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life (“Things are always hectic around here”) or as a part of your personality (“I just love keeping super busy”).

Until you accept responsibility for the role you play in creating or maintaining it, your stress level will remain outside your control.