Sunday, October 18, 2015

Dealing with Stress

“Stress happens when your mind resists what is.” ~Dan Millman

How true. The secret of lower stress is to embrace life exactly as it is. Not resist it.

If I didn't accept that my neighbor is intent upon being a jerk, then I'll have stress. But I long ago realized who he is.

If I'm unhappy because I can't participate in sports with the intensity I once did, then I'll live with stress. But if I recognize that life has its seasons, the stress dissipates.

If we have chronic health issues that we can't change we mustn't resist them. For lower stress we accept the reality of our condition.

It doesn't matter if the issue is small or large. If I resist what I know is true my stress levels go up. And then I pump cortisol throughout my body. If this stress stays with us long term it affects many aspects of our health.

But a simple fix to our thinking changes everything. If we learn to flow with life - wonderful or not so - then we can keep our stress low.

And remember, stress is all about perception. It's not real unless we make it so.