What to do about
Stress
"Stress can bring on a variety of ailments. Generally stress
is what you feel when the demands on your life exceed your ability
to meet these demands. 95% of our stress originates with other people.
During acute pressure, your body releases the hormones adrenaline
and cortisol. Your heart beats faster, breathing quickens and blood
pressure rises. You are also more prone to angina and heart rhythm
irregularities. In some people, these reactions can be so dramatic
that rises in blood pressure and heart rate can be extreme. If the
pressure is not managed properly, increased blood clotting as a result
of the stress response can put a person at risk for a heart attack
or stroke."
The Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota
"Why do people stress us? Mostly because we need them. We
have a need to be loved and accepted by others, and many of us will
go to almost any length to achieve respect or avoid criticism. We
fear rejection because we wish to be thought of as having value. At
the same time the people we need, are inconsistent. They can be loving
at one moment, and inconsiderate and selfish the next. They thereby
cause us stress. We become angry or fearful. Or tell our bodies: "Beware!
Danger! Our bodies respond by releasing adrenaline, which can be lethal."
Dr. Archibald Hart, author of "Adrenaline and Stress"
Of course, pressure is an inevitable part of life! It's like
a shadow and follows you everywhere. However, the way you manage pressure
will tell the difference between whether the pressure will be a positive
force or a negative force. If it is positive, it will not consume
you. To the contrary, it will help you to face life's challenges creatively
and productively. On the other hand, if it is a negative force, you
stand to suffer burnout, fatigue, inefficiency, high blood pressure,
heart attack…etc…get the idea?
The different ways to react to pressure:
There are basically 3 ways to react to pressure and the stress that
accompanies it. You can be either Mad Sad or Glad.
1. If the pressure building up within you makes you Mad, your
anger will wear many disguises ranging from cynical denial of responsibility,
to verbal or even physical assaults. This kind of reaction is very
destructive to you and to the people around you.
2. If the pressure building up within you makes you feel Sad, this
too can be very destructive. Such an attitude can be a very toxic
force. Why? When you internalize your stress, you are not facing
reality. In a sense, you stew in your own juice! You lose your focus.
Depression, health problems, and family turmoil are not far behind.
When you are Sad, there is a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness.
Now, how productive and how creative and how energetic can you be
when the only light you see at the end of the tunnel is the light
of another train coming right at you???
3. Being angry or sad is very toxic. They are not the ways to manage
Pressure. The key to dealing with pressure is being Glad, and this
is the attitude we propose to help you and your staff attain. The
key to being Glad is perception! Look, you cannot control the anger
and vexation of a customer or client, but you can control you…you
can prevent the other person's vexation from becoming your vexation.
Evidence reveals that the amount of stress you feel depends not on
the situation you face, but on how you perceive and react to the situation.
To strengthen your power of perception so that it will be a positive
force, we emphasize three areas of mind control that can make all
the difference in the world in how you manage stress.
