Home > Work > Yes! You Can Manage Stress: Regain Control of Your Life Using the Five Habits of Effective Stress Management
1 " By thinking mostly about everything that has gone wrong, is going wrong, and can possibly go wrong, the thinker is bound to end up in a lousy mental and emotional state. "
― Gudjon Bergmann , Yes! You Can Manage Stress: Regain Control of Your Life Using the Five Habits of Effective Stress Management
2 " Many people close themselves off from the world when they are under pressure. That is understandable. I have gone through periods when I didn’t want to meet people because I didn’t feel good about my situation in life and that made my life even more stressful. Remind yourself often about how much of an impact compassion and friendship can have on your life. You need to get out there, be compassionate and share your time and your life with your friends and other people that need your support. It’s worth it on every level. "
3 " Short term goals are often based on dissatisfaction, and actions based on dissatisfaction will eventually lead to a life of unhappiness. "
4 " You are here and you can’t escape it. Thoughts about why you came to be here and a poor-me mentality will not help you to resolve the situation. You cannot avoid being here now, in this present moment, in this unfortunate predicament. Your choices, lack of choices, or accidental events, have led you to this moment. That cannot be changed no matter how much you think about it. The only things that can be changed in this present moment are your thoughts and actions right now. Take a deep breath and totally accept this moment. "
5 " If you decide to focus on one thing at a time, instead of trying to solve everything at once, and just do that one thing, then you will feel a sudden decrease in stress. "
6 " One myth that has become established in the self-development arena is that it only takes 21 days to form a new habit. This simply isn’t true in all cases. Sometimes it takes a shorter time, sometimes a longer time, and sometimes old habits are so hard to break that new ones never take hold. "
7 " The worst possible approach to a problem is waiting until it becomes overwhelming or irreversible, and that is exactly what many people do. They put dealing with stress on the backburner until they start to experience all the worst symptoms of stress, and by then, it may be too late! "
8 " If you have ever procrastinated and then found yourself energized to complete a task at the last minute, then you have used the beneficial aspect of the fight or flight response (not the procrastinating part, but the energizing part). You see, with all its negative long term effects, the fight or flight response still gives us energy, and if we know how to use that energy, then stress is potentially good, at least in the short term. "
9 " Habits equal autopilot. Take brushing your teeth for example. Once that becomes a habit, you don’t have to write positive affirmations or remind yourself constantly to brush your teeth. It is simply a habitual part of what you do every day. That is why I emphasize the five habits of stress management, not the five rules or the five goals. If you make these five habits an essential part of your life, then you will be able to manage stress effectively. "
10 " Everyone knows that a quick-fix usually doesn’t work, yet we have all been sold on the idea time and time again. Most of us would like to believe in miracle drugs and fast relief. The truth is that most of the quick fixes for stress focus on temporary relief from tension or pain. Temporary, as in, the problem will return with a vengeance. This doesn’t mean we should never take drugs to alleviate tension or pain, it just means that taking drugs is not a viable permanent solution; it’s just a temporary relief. "
11 " No one can save time. It’s not like money. You can’t deposit the time you save into an account and use it later. Time passes. Time is a constantly depleting resource. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, and you will NEVER get it back. "
12 " The most powerful word in time management is NO. "
13 " I believe that if you truly understand the importance of relaxation, you will make time for it in your schedule. "
14 " My point is that focusing on the past, present or future can have both positive and negative effects. Excessive worry about the future can be bad, while hopes and dreams can be good. Regret because of the past can be destructive, but learning lessons from previous events and having good memories can be great. Focusing intently on the present is usually stress-relieving and liberating, but sometimes the present moment is too sad or horrible to dwell on. "
15 " I will not like everyone, not everyone will like me, and that is OK. "
16 " Imagine being startled repeatedly during the day. This is stress in a nutshell. There is always a buildup of tension, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. We need to accept the truth that we all get stressed every day and we all need to seek balance to counteract the detrimental effects of stress. "
17 " Folks who only battle the symptoms of stress are losing the battle because the symptoms are sure to return if the causes aren’t dealt with. "
18 " Traffic will not yield to our will, neither will global finances, the environment, political rhetoric, nor people in general. There is no way to solve the problem of stress through blaming environmental factors. "
19 " The term stress has effectively become an umbrella concept, which gives us permission to call any kind of discomfort that we don’t know how to define in other terms stress, be it physical, emotional or mental. Pretty much everything can become stress, or stressful, without any further evidence being presented. "
20 " I realized that moderate amounts of stress, when directed or funneled in specific directions, could be both beneficial and practical. "
