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Stress is a killer – show it who’s boss!

January 28, 2017 Ken 0 Comments

But you knew that, right? I’m sure you didn’t need me to tell you that. In fact it’s thought by many to be the main cause of most major illnesses. And it can certainly screw your life up in a dozen different ways, that’s for sure. Speak to any doctor and he (or she) will tell you that if all their patients with stress-related illnesses were cured overnight, they’d be practically out of a job and looking for work.

What stresses you out?

It could be any of a thousand things, and if you’re stressed there’s likely more than one cause, but here’s just of few of the usual suspects:

  • Being stuck in traffic
  • standing in a line that never seems to move
  • bad manners
  • lack of courtesy
  • cold calling
  • office politics
  • not being recognised for your contribution
  • people taking advantage of your good nature

How stress can affect you

stressStress can cause you to be inhibited. That could mean that your job suffers, or your attempts at creating a business of your own. It can make you timid and fearful. That could damage your relationships, or your attempts at creating a relationship. It can mean you make poor decisions, which would damage your relationships, your career, in fact anything and everything.

And stress can affect you in many ways, from just being confined to your mental state (I say that as though that wasn’t bad enough!), to actually creating physical problems, sometimes on a grand scale. One of the earliest signs of stress in a person is that he has poor posture (head down, shoulders slouched, you know the look).

It can play havoc with your digestive system; bloating, indigestion, irregular habits, etc. Can any of this be any good for you? Absolutely not. It’s a recipe for disaster. Maybe not immediately, or even this year, but eventually. Years of stress will almost inevitably result in chronic illness of some kind.

There are plenty of simple things you can do to combat stress, such as …

  • Use a stress ball (squeeze the little bleeder till it’s fit to burst!)
  • Deep breathing
  • Force yourself to smile … it’s hard to do it and still stay stressed out. Even if the only thing you can smile about is the fact that you feel a bit ridiculous smiling at such a time!
  • Imagine how great it’s going to be to get in that nice warm bath you’re looking forward to – that takes you right out of ‘stressed’ and plonks you firmly in the middle of ‘anticipating relaxation’.

So what exactly is stress?

Not a straightforward question, since stress is different things to different people. Stress, to one person, is just the stuff that puts the buzz into life. The dangers associated with certain jobs (security, for example), can become almost unbearable. Yet some people thrive on the danger! Some even actively go looking for it. To find yourself in a war zone is a nightmare for most people, yet mercenaries and those who choose to go into battle never feel more alive than when their very lives are in danger.

stressCan you imagine the stress you’d feel if you had to try to walk across a quivering cable strung between two tall buildings? And yet some people just can’t wait to get up there and face the danger!

Or imagine getting up every day knowing you’d be working on a flimsy cradle, hundreds of feet in the air, cleaning the windows or performing maintenance tasks on high-rise buildings? Or putting together the metal framework of those buildings as they’re actually being built, with the wind whistling past you and you secured only by a steel safety cable clipped to your belt. To some it’s just a job … to most of us it would be the most extreme stress.

Not that it need only come from your line of work; if you’re a single parent bringing up three or four children without a decent income, that’s got to be stressful. You can be the best parent in the world, and with the best intentions, but the stress of that situation will almost certainly get to you.

And any woman suffering post-natal depression will confirm that it’s one of the most stressful times of her life. Stressful enough, in extreme cases, where the mother may actually harm herself, or indeed her child.

So, how can you combat stress?

Whatever is causing stress in your life, whether it’s your job, your financial situation, your relationship(s), or just coping with everyday life, the deciding factor is how you view the situation. If you see it as stressful, then that’s what it becomes. If you see it as a challenge, then you are better able to deal with it.

stressIf you’re stuck in a job that’s your idea of hell, you have to ask yourself is it worth staying in that job. You might desperately need the money, but there’s always another job. You might not find it easy to discover the job that’s better suited to you, but you’ll find it tougher still to find it if you stay stuck in your own personal hell on earth. So if it’s your job that’s stressing you out, maybe it’s time to make the break. Get out of that pig of a job, even if it means you’re unemployed for a while, and move on. Once you’ve ditched the job you’ll find opportunities will start to appear more readily. Stay stuck in that same horrible situation and you’ll probably never find the job that would be like a taste of paradise in comparison.

Same goes for relationships; is you stay put rigidly in a poisonous relationship just for the sake of not rocking the boat, you’ll never move on to a more satisfying relationship, or find a better partner. The break up might be nasty, to say the least (okay, it might be one of the hardest things you ever go through!), but you’ll breathe a sigh of relief once you’re free of the soul-sucking clamminess of a partnership gone stale.

stressOh, and if you are stuck in a dead-end job, maybe it’s time to weigh up the possibilities of working for yourself. There are very real opportunities all around these days, with the relentless growth of the internet and the spread of online marketing. I know you’re not going to suddenly find yourself making a fortune within months if you try to start an online business (and if someone tries to convince you otherwise, take no notice), but maybe it’s preferable to that miserable nine-to-five you’ve been stuck in for so long.

And remember, you don’t have to ditch your job right away – in fact it would be foolish to do so. You can start an online business on the side, and only make it full-time if and when it starts to really take off. Even if that day never comes and it never meets your expectations, it will be far more rewarding to be doing something for yourself. You’ll know you have the potential, at least, to create an ever-growing income, and you won’t be held back or dictated to by an employer.

To free yourself from stress, strike out!

Whatever is causing you stress, you owe it to yourself to make the break. Don’t spend the rest of your life in silent misery, settling for second best. You can do better! Or at least you can try, and in trying you’ll be infinitely better off than just giving up and vegetating.

You weren’t born to live a life of drudgery. It was never part of the plan for you to spend most of your life working hard, and working long hours, and specially not in a job you hate. You deserve better!

You were never destined to settle for a miserable relationship, when there’s a chance you could have something far more rewarding. And if you don’t do something about it, you’ll never know how close you might have been to the relationship of your dreams.

Whatever is the cause of your stress, take a good long look at it. Maybe it’s just your viewpoint that needs changing. Try to see things as a challenge rather than as a problem. Face things square on, fearlessly. I know it’s easy to say that, and I know it can be frightening to even think of doing such a thing, but the fact is, if you act fearlessly, even for a little while, you’ll reap the benefit. You will gradually become stronger and more truly fearless, yes, even if you can only fake it at first.

Be courageous!

Be bolder, take life by the scruff of the neck! Stress is just another name for challenge. Accept that challenge and determine to make more of yourself and more of your opportunities. You’ll never look back! Well actually, you will look back … but the difference is that if you do nothing to change things you’ll look back with regret and a feeling of shame that you let life slip away from you.

stress

Grab it while you can! And if that means putting up with a bit of stress for now, so what? Take your courage in both hands and become the fearless person you really can be. It’s a potential that’s [quite possibly] dormant inside of you right now. Shake yourself! Realise your potential! And don’t hold onto any thoughts of stress. Stand tall and look life in the eye!

Remember, it’s very much up to you what actually counts as stressful …
and it’s definitely up to you whether or not you stay in a stressful situation
or change it to suit yourself.

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#determination#illness#stress#take action

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