Stress Management Skills, Series #3

To read the beginning of this article please view series # 1. How to manage stress There are various skills to mange stress and each of these skills can be more effective than the others depending on your needs and circumstances. And as the old saying goes” don’t put all your eggs in one basket”, often a combination of these skills produce better results. Change your perception It often helps to take a new perspective in viewing our life, our problems and circumstances. Often we have an unrealistic expectation that life should be smooth and without problems. Aboriginal people believe that life means problems, and as such problems and difficulties are expected and accepted as part of life. That means that we can perceive our problems as “problem” and feel overwhelmed or perceive them as challenges and feel motivated to overcome them. The benefit with the latter view is that we shift from a problem-oriented view to a solution-oriented one, and naturally feeling encouraged searching for solutions. “Maturity is achieved when a person accepts life as full of tension.” Joshua L. Liebman Understand and identify the stressor Very often our feelings signal us that we are facing a problem without exactly knowing what the problem is, and as such feeling more confused and overwhelmed. In order to be solution-oriented, we first need to identify the problem. Do not ignore your feelings of being overwhelmed, tired, and experiencing insomnia. Even though you might not be directly aware of the source of the problem, your mental and physical state do communicate with you. Try to understand the language and do not just accept them as a “normal-for-me-state”. info@drbita.com