Have you noticed that there’s a lot of talk about stress and mental health is society today?
Indeed, there is so much happening in today’s world that it’s completely understandable how stress can overcome your day-to-day happiness. As you’ve probably experienced, stress can build through situations even within your own family. When stress gets out-of-control it can lead to dire consequences. The result can even cover your face in ‘boils’ as I heard from a member in such a predicament last week.
We cannot judge other’s situations though ‘unless we walk a mile in their shoes’ as it is said. But today I’m going to share three actionable strategies that will help YOU to reduce, remove or at the least, minimise the stress in your life. And that’s without resorting to a pill, drugs or alcohol.
The first, is the weight-training workout. If you have ever worked for the NZ Government Department – ‘Work and Income’ or The Department of Social Welfare, you will know how stress can steadily build throughout the working day. Getting sworn at continuously can take its’ toll. By quitting time, my head would often feel tight, heavy and like a brick. My energy was sapped. I didn’t feel like going to the city gym I had joined (Clive Greens) but I did. The first 10-15 minutes of my workout would be a real challenge. But, you could absolutely GUARANTEE that by the time my hour was up, heading for the showers, I had zero stress and would always, without exception, feel brand new.
I’ve since consistently re-proven this simple formula an estimated 16,000 times. One hour of weight-training removes all stress.
Secondly, World-Famous educator Brian Tracey explained in his presentation at Auckland’s Aotea Centre some years ago that most stress is the result of our habit of blaming others when things go wrong in our lives. Brian then challenged the audience – “The next time you feel anger or stress, think about it. Ask yourself, ‘Why am I stressed?’ Am I blaming someone for this challenge? Instead, recite in your mind ‘I AM RESPONSIBLE’. In most everyday situations YOU CAN do something positive to change the situation. And often, when you realise that you do actually have control and can accept that you did or do have a choice, and that you CAN take responsibility, the stress goes away.
Try it! Invariably there will be something positive YOU CAN do. It works!
The third strategy is spoken about in famous US Navy Seal – Robert O’Neil’s book ‘The Operator’. The amount of pressure and stress involved in just getting through the selection process itself, calls for super-human determination. Then come the tasks that Seal Teams need to tackle, often behind enemy lines, in secret and at risk of death. So, what was O’Neal’s philosophy about stress you might ask? “The Navy Seal Instructors take the stress of combat and try to put it in the training environment. Because it’s not actual combat, just training, people can more easily see that the stress that is in their head is self-induced. But that’s entry level.
Ultimately, SEAL commanders are trying to find the people who can realise that ALL stress is self-induced. Even when bombs are going off and people are trying to kill you. Worrying doesn’t help keep you alive. In fact, it can get you killed. Can you put that bag of bricks down and forget about it, or are you going to let it ruin your day?”
So, there you have it. Three diverse ways that YOU CAN conquer the stress in your life. And they ALL work. The question and the ‘challenge’ is, are you going to allow stress to control you today?
