Books by Liz Wilde -
£6.99
Published by Ryland, Peters & Small 2005
ISBN 1841728527 Buy
Chapter 2
INSIDE - ease your mind
Stress is caused by feeling you don’t have a choice - that
there are things you must do and that in some way you don’t
want to do them. But you do have a choice, if only in your perception.
Imagine a task that causes you stress. Do you really have to do
it? What’s the worst that can happen if you don’t? Could
you cope? And if there really would be serious consequences, how
can you think differently about the situation to make it more bearable?
Studying for an exam may be stressful, but if the qualification
is going to get you a better job with more money and less hours,
the short-term effort is probably well worth it.
Stress is felt in your mind before it reaches your body. You can
only ever hold six thoughts in your head - any more and your mind
freezes like a computer with memory overload. Begin your day by
deciding on your top priorities. What is most important to get done
today? Write them down and only give your time to things that will
bring you closer towards achieving these goals. You’ll be
amazed how much gets done with this kind of single focus.
And instead of ending your day by compiling yet another to-do list,
write a done list of all the things you’ve achieved that day.
Far more satisfying - and much less stressful.
If your life is always stressful, you may be unconsciously making
it so. What drives you to be so busy? Do you feel guilty (“how
can I relax with so much to do?”), or competitive (“how
can I relax when everyone else is so busy?”) or ambitious
(“how can I be successful if I have free time?”)? Being
busy doesn’t earn you respect - having time for others does
that. What if you were to make quality of life your number one priority?
How would that change your achiever fever? Think about it: if you’re
not enjoying life, what’s the point?
7 Questions to ask yourself when you’re stressed
1 Why am I trying to do everything myself? What am I getting out
of being a martyr?
2 What can I do to make this situation better? How can I change
the way I see it so it becomes less stressful?
3 Where is my time best spent today? What’s the most important
thing I can do right now?
4 What can I learn from this situation so I make sure I’m
never put under this kind of stress again?
5 Does this really have to be done right now? Does the person pressuring
me have something to gain from me taking instant action?
6 Is this something that will have a serious effect on my life
in two week’s/two month’s time? Is it really that important?
7 What is my adrenaline-fuelled lifestyle costing me? How quickly
do I want to use up my life?
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Spa: De-Stress