Live Out Loud: Let go of your Stresses!

"Even as fire finds peace in its resting place without fuel, when thoughts become silence the soul finds peace in its own source. When the mind is silent, then it can enter into a world which is far beyond the mind. This is wisdom, and this is liberation." - The Upanishads

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: ”How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

If you tend to get stressed out frequently - as many of us do in today’s demanding world - your body may be in a heightened state of stress most of the time. And that can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can suppress your immune system, upset your digestive and reproductive systems, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and speed up the aging process. It can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.

Problems caused or exacerbated by stress are numerous. So let it go before it kill you from within!

"If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person." - Seneca

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. It’s so simple! But yet many may think it's difficult to implement.

A strong network of supportive friends and family members is an enormous buffer against stress. Its said that the simple act of talking face-to-face with another human can trigger hormones that relieve stress when you're feeling uncomfortable, unsure, or unsafe. So stay connected to others. The more lonely and isolated you are, the greater your risk of succumbing to stress. When you have people you know you can count on, life’s pressures don’t seem as overwhelming.
A brief exchange of kind words or a friendly look from another human being can help calm and soothe your nervous system. So spend time with people who make you feel good and don’t let your responsibilities keep you from having a social life.

If you have confidence in yourself and your ability to influence events and persevere through challenges, it’s easier to take stress in stride. Do not believe that you have little control over your life. Don't think that you’re at the mercy of your environment and circumstances, with limited ability to make changes. If you believe that you are the master of your life and everything is determine by you, stress is less likely to paralyze you and knock you off course.

The way you look at life and its inevitable challenges makes a huge difference in your ability to handle stress. So you have to work on your attitude and outlook. If you’re generally hopeful and optimistic, you’ll be less vulnerable.

Stress is not what happen to us. It is our response to what happens to us. And, response is something we choose.

Stress-hardy people tend to embrace challenges, have a stronger sense of humor, believe in a higher purpose, and accept change as an inevitable part of life. While others respond negatively and are drown in the effects.

How well do you deal with your emotions when they arise? Your ability to deal with your emotions matters.

Its not the LOAD that breaks you down, it's the way you carry the load.

If you don’t know how to calm and soothe yourself when you’re feeling sad, angry, or afraid, you’re highly likely to become stressed and agitated. Having the ability to identify and deal appropriately with your emotions can increase your tolerance to stress and help you bounce back from adversity.

Your knowledge and preparation - The more you know about a stressful situation—including how long it will last and what to expect—the easier it is to cope. For example, if you go into surgery with a realistic picture of what to expect post-op, a painful recovery will be less stressful than if you were expecting to bounce back immediately.

"The mind can go either direction under stress—toward positive or toward negative: on or off. Think of it as a spectrum whose extremes are unconsciousness at the negative end and hyper-consciousness at the positive end. The way the mind will lean under stress is strongly influenced by training." - Frank Herbert

Events may create physical pain, but they do not in themselves create suffering. Resistance creates suffering. Stress happens when your mind resists what is...The only problem in your life is your mind's resistance to life as it unfolds. Allow your life as it unfolds. There are lots of things we can't change ourselves; why worry over them and allow them stresses out? What's stressful for you? Why is it stressful? Are you looking at the other side?

How often do you rest? Do you relax at all? Get your rest and become more productive and emotionally balanced. Feeling tired can increase stress by causing you to think irrationally.
Even God rested! If God could rest, how much more we humans that are vulnerable? We that are mortals!
Learn how to relax. Learn to rest. We are not machines. Even machines stop for a while. And remember, machines do wear and tear.
You can’t completely eliminate stress from your life, but you can control how much it affects you. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body’s relaxation response, as proven by experts. Being in the state of restfulness will positively influence all aspect of your life.
Regular rest and relaxation will lead to a reduction in your everyday stress levels and a boost in your feelings of joy and serenity. Also, it will increase your ability to stay calm and collected under pressure. And this is one of the quality of a goal getter and leader.

Another tool is exercise. Regular exercise can lift your mood and serve as a distraction from worries, allowing you to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed stress. Rhythmic exercises such as walking, running, swimming, and dancing are particularly effective, especially if you exercise mindfully (focusing your attention on the physical sensations you experience as you move).

Some people don't know that the food they eat can improve or worsen their mood and affect their ability to cope with life’s stressors. At all times, eat healthy diets. Eating a diet full of processed and convenience food, refined carbohydrates, and sugary snacks can worsen symptoms of stress while eating a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, high-quality protein, and healthy fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids, can help you better cope with life’s ups and downs.

"More smiling, less worrying. More compassion, less judgment. More blessed, less stressed. More love, less hate." - Roy T. Bennett

Don't let the sun go down in your stress. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. If not, it will disrupt you sweet sleep and makes you inactive the next day.

Introspect n re-introspect your own life to bring that change from within.

Remember to put the glass down!

Let go of your stress!