subject: Bless Your Holidays Stress [print this page] Here it comes again: the season of givingHere it comes again: the season of giving. . . and receiving.
You will be receiving some friends and family obligations you never "receive" except during the month ahead. Once you "choose" to receive, you must now choose how to handle your behavior and attitude. A solution-focused, light-hearted approach for handling this season's anxieties comes with a tangible payoff. When you bless your stress, you redirect the force of your energy, affirm your existence and embrace the whole of your life, establishing the foundations for your own happiness. Yes, but in these troubled times? And with THAT family coming over?
By addressing two key areas - releasing control and honing the fine art of patience 'you can improve your ability to focus on what matters.
Personal Control Panel
While we pride ourselves on being in control, it's critical that we understand what we can and can't control. The list of what you can control includes what you think, what you say, what you feel and do, what you put into your mouth, and what you do to your body.
It's a short list of things we can control. That's where we need to focus our energy. Revise your outlook and revamp your reactions so you can rebound from life's annoyances.
Beyond that, tap into your "personal control panel" which controls what happens in your mind. Remember to "Play" but skip the "Fast Forward" because, as Gandhi famously said, "There is more to life than increasing its speed." Make full use of the "Pause Button," meaning take a deep breath and take stock before letting a stress trigger or a whiney nephew make you go nuts.
Wait Lifting Skills
Another key element of blessing stress is to practice wait lifting, or the ability to wait and have patience in today's 24/7, frenetic "now" culture. Patience is how you handle the wait of the world. By starting with light waits - not getting frustrated when the computer doesn't boot up fast enough for you or the traffic light takes too long to change - you can work up to medium and heavy waits.
We work in businesses where we cultivate long-term clients. Those with the most patience are the most successful business owners. Your families are your oldest long-term clients. Practice lightening the wait. You transform your perspective and get more out of life when you retrain your brain.
Other experts reinforce these suggestions. As the American Institute of Stress website notes, "Stress is not always necessarily harmful...Increased stress results in increased productivity - up to a point. However, this level differs for each of us. It's very much like the stress on a violin string. Not enough produces a dull, raspy sound. Too much tension makes a shrill, annoying noise or snaps the string. However, just the right degree can create a magnificent tone. Similarly, we all need to find the proper level of stress that allows us to perform optimally and make melodious music as we go through life."
It comes down to cultivating the rare quality of perspective, and bringing a "light take" on stress, so at least the stress doesn't last as long. During the holidays, just play the deck you're dealt and find your trump card. It may be that you are still alive to celebrate.
And have a merry month ahead.
by: Mimi Donaldson
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