Did You Know That How You View Stress Is the Problem?

As you know, stress is your body’s physical and mental response to sensed threats, demands, or major changes in your life. And you know, stress is triggered by money worries, job pressures, health issues, and relationship struggles. These events, situations, or thoughts trigger the “fight or flight” response. This response can be grouped into a few main areas:

• Health issues, such as a chronic illness, are physically and emotionally draining.
• Financial concerns, due to unexpected bills or expenses, are widely mentioned as the most common causes.
• Workplace pressures such as workloads, poor management, and conflicts with coworkers can make a heavier burden on us.
• Major life changes like divorce, job loss, or bereavement can also become major triggers.
• Internal factors like constant worrying and a feeling of having no influence can cause you to stress yourself out.

However, the cause I want to address with this post is the issue of control. When I typed this, I began to smile. This is because I do like to be in control, to lead, and in general be in charge.

But is control a realistic way of living life?

What is the impact on stress? Anxiety, restlessness, lack of focus or motivation, memory problems, feeling overwhelmed, anger, and sadness or depression, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Tell me who in their right mind wants to experience anxiety, restlessness, lack of focus or motivation, memory problems, feeling overwhelmed, anger, sadness, or depression? I don’t think any of you would want this.

And yet we continue to put our lives through this ‘Hell’ on a fairly regular basis.

So, what does a sane person do?

I believe it comes down to understanding that a controlling attitude is what many people have. It is a desire to control all aspects of life. And you have to admit that controlling all aspects of life is nearly impossible. And if you think that it is also possible, you want to give it a try, because the possibility is out there.

Think again!

A few questions;

• Did you create yourself?
• Do you know everything?
• Have you ever made a mistake?

The problem, as I see it, especially in North America, is how Stoicism has permeated our society. For those of you who don’t know what Stoicism is, it is a foundational belief that we can control our thoughts, actions, and responses. But what many people ignore in Stoicism is that not all things are in our control, such as other people’s opinions, financial matters, the workplace, our health situation, and the weather conditions. This is what starts the suffering and the stress.

What do you do?

Step back, let go, and learn to enjoy all aspects of life’s ride.

If you are interested in learning how to do this more effectively, give me a call at 519-539-2267.