Stress to Energy...

​19                                                Stress to Energy...(1)
 
Stress can be a very good thing.
What undoes us is DISTRESS.
Stress, harnessed, can be an invigorating force in our lives.
Stress, unleashed and rampant, can destroy our lives and the lives of others.
Quite a few people have learned ways for dealing with stress, then put what they’ve learned away, and keep it ‘on file’ for when it might be needed.
Which is a bit like Johnny Sexton getting in a couple of kicks before an international, just in case we scored a try, or were awarded a penalty.
Harnessing, redirecting, reframing stress, is a skill.
So we need to know what to do, how to do it, and practise.
That’s called managing stress. When we know how to manage it, we can use the knowledge to help prevent being overwhelmed by stress.
When we’re faced with difficulties, problems, challenges, our bodies tend to respond by pumping adrenaline into our bloodstream and thus priming us to fight like hell, or run like hell.
But many of the problems today that cause this stressful reaction are not the kind from which we can run, or fight. They come in unexpected brown envelopes, or disappointment, or hurtful remarks, or betrayal, or time limitations. So we can’t run or fight or even hide from them.
The stress then can become chronic, an ongoing state of physical, mental and emotional arousal. And that is what most often overwhelms us in challenging times; not the circumstance, but our stressful reaction to it.
The good news is that we can do something about that. In fact, we can do a lot about it.
And while this mightn’t solve the problem that causes the stress in the first place, it helps us cope, deal with it, and is often the beginning of a solution that emerges from clearer thinking and calmer composure.
We’ll do this in steps. This is the first one.

KNOW THAT fact for today; we CAN DO a lot about how WE CHOOSE to react, or preferably, respond, to a stressful situation.
​
Hold that thought.
Next post will show the next step. Stay tuned.

---