Don’t Stress Over Stress
Many things which make us mad don’t deserve the attention we give them, and the emotional and physical discomfort we put ourselves through on their account. So why think about things that are not in our control and lose sleep over them?
Everyone seems to be under some sort of stress these days. And some people are spending more time talking about it, as if it is the latest fashion, than doing anything constructive to ward it off. Most people think that stress can only be taken care of through medications and going to a shrink — which would label them as a nut. Thankfully, this isn’t the case.
Though stress is a condition that is brought on usually as a result of external factors, it is our own reactions to situations that determines whether we become stressed or not. While some people flourish under stress, others suffer the consequences in the form of headaches, irritability, fatigues, if not serious health problems. We need to shape our attitude in such a way as not to overreact to problematic situations and learn how to relax.
One of the first steps towards this is to identify the factors that make you tense and worked up. Make a careful assessment of these and ask yourself if they are worth getting stressed about. Chances are, you will realise that so many things which make us mad don’t deserve the attention we give them, and the emotional and physical discomfort we put ourselves through on their account. For instance, what the gossip monger at your workplace says is not worth getting any grey hairs for, leave your stress attack for the time you boss gets mad at you.
But sometimes people like to borrow someone else’s worries to make their own life miserable. This is truer in case of females who tend to get emotional and worked up about anyone who has a woeful tale to tell. But there are males too who worry about things that don’t really concern them.
“We need to shape our attitude in such a way as not to overreact to problematic situations and learn how to relax.”
Take my hubby for instance, he hates driving, particularly the hour-long drive home from work through the mad rush time traffic. So we have a driver, which should mean that only he has to worry about manoeuvring his way through the lawless regions of our roads. But my husband sits more alert than the driver, shooting instructions, losing his cool at some unruly driver, fuming and panting at the frequent traffic jams and telling our poor driver to keep the speed low even when the car is moving almost at a snail’s pace.
He just can’t bring himself to take a deep breath, sit back, close his eyes and unwind after a long day’s work and leave the worrying for the one behind the steering wheel.
Talking to yourself the moment you start getting worked up is also a good idea. Send positive messages to yourself, in other words your brain, so that the message that ‘things are fine’ gets conveyed to the rest of the body and the physical reactions such as increased heartbeat and tense muscles subside.
“Send positive messages to yourself, in other words your brain, so that the message that ‘things are fine’ gets conveyed to the rest of the body and the physical reactions such as increased heartbeat and tense muscles subside.”
Basically, it’s your brain that has the master control over you, physically and emotionally. So try to get a mental grip on yourself when you are being getting bogged down by problems. When there is a problem that you can’t do much about or doesn’t seem to be getting over, switch your mind off it. Why think about things that are not in your control and lose sleep over them?
Pep talk also works great when you are feeling down and depressed. Nobody understands you better than yourself, so if you know what causes you to stress out, you will also realise what can make you unwind and relax.
You have got to give yourself a break from a demanding job or a tight schedule and pamper yourself till you are thoroughly spoilt. You will be revitalised and free from all the stress that you thought you could never get over.
Happy living!
This article was originally published in The Review magazine of Dawn and on my website www.ambreenarshad.com