How to take control and manage stress. Managing stress is really just exercising control rather than giving it up to others or to your environment.
How to Take Control of Stress
Managing stress is really just exercising control rather than giving it up to others or to your environment. So often we hear others say, “So and so made me angry!” No one can make you angry. Rather, you allow yourself to be angered by what so and so has said or done. When you describe your behavior as dependent upon another’s, you have given up control of that behavior to that other person. The actual event does not necessarily have anger as its consequence. The anger was brought to that situation by you – not by the event or another person. On some days, the same event would not have resulted in your becoming angry. You may have been having a great day and telling yourself it was so great that nothing was going to ruin it. What’s more, nothing did! You are the master of your ship. You may not be able to influence other people to alter what they say or do, but you can alter your reaction to what they say or do. No one can tell you to do otherwise. Thus, it is up to you if you want other people's behavior or actions to affect you and cause an impact. It is up to you whether you should practice relaxation techniques when faced with these kinds of situations or not. The practice of these techniques is a good example of taking responsibility for your actions and taking control of your life. It would be dysfunctional to employ stress management techniques in a stressful way – and yet, that is not uncommon. The more you try to control stress and suppress it, the more stressed you will likely become; so take a breather. Since you have not bothered to use comprehensive stress management for the many years of your life, don’t rush into it now. Making a Commitment on Stress While you are advised not to rush into stress management, a beginning should be made immediately. That first step is significant since subsequent steps depend upon it. Since chronic or prolonged stress reactivity may result in your becoming ill, the longer you wait to begin controlling stress, the less healthy you can expect to be. If you’re healthy now, you want to maintain that status. If you’re persistently ill and that illness is exacerbated by stress, you can move towards health by managing that stress. Determine your commitment to managing your stress by completing a contract with yourself. Don’t make the contract too stressful. Try to be realistic. Set both rewards and punishments for accomplishments and failures. There is no time like the present.
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