We are all aware of the stressful times we are surrounded with, and these situations can easily lead us to feeling overwhelmed. Learning to combat stress is a helpful skill we can learn so as to regain a maximized quality of life. There is a very effective way of doing this, through cognitive redirection, and focusing on the positive aspects of our lives instead of the negative ones. By taking the time to acknowledge good fortune in our lives, and not allowing setbacks or problems to become dominating factor in our outlook allows us to deal with stress on a more successful level.
It's easier to be ungrateful about the bad cards we are dealt than to be grateful for what we do have and achieve. Sometimes it takes disaster to make us grateful for the things that we take for granted: a roof overhead, a warm bed and hot shower. Identifying the things we should be grateful for is an exercise in positive thinking that can actually change the way that we feel and balance out the effects of stress.
Stress is caused by many factors, but it is defined as a maladaptive state where the individual is not in equilibrium with his or her surroundings. We now know that the distinction between the body and the mind is of limited usefulness. Trauma to the body can affect the mind and negative thoughts can affect the body. Stressful experiences that prompt negative emotions have a direct affect on the chemistry of the body. Our bodies produce hormones and other chemical substances, including adrenalin and cortisol, in response to threat and stress.
We are fortunate enough to have the opposite apply as well. Any calm environment and/or positive thoughts are able to combat both the physical and mental effects of stress. Taking a little time out of every day to concentrate on the positive - even a small period of time as little as five minutes - you can easily separate yourself from stressors and their effects.
The need to recognize those bursts of good fortune can have a radical effect on our perspective. Problems have a tendency to cast a dark cloud so to speak over the parts of our lives that are going well and distorting our perspective on things. Let's take for example that sense of panic we feel when tasks are uncompleted instead of giving ourselves some praise over what we did accomplish. When the period of stress is prolonged or extended, it is entirely possible for us to develop unhealthy patterns of jumping automatically to a negative conclusion. By focusing on those things that make us happy is a very powerful technique we can use to overcome that pattern of thinking negatively, thereby reducing stress as well as giving a boost to the immune system.
It may initially be difficult to identify those particular things you have to be grateful for, especially if you are already stressed, tense and can't see the forest for the trees. Take time to practice, and start with easy things such as a sunny day, or a new rose on your bushes. You will more than likely rely on hindsight to start, but with time and a little effort you will notice it becoming easier.
As you train yourself to recognize how many things you have to be grateful for, you will stop taking these things for granted. Seeing that flower blossoming will immediately trigger the recognition that there is much to celebrate. As you integrate this appreciation into your daily functioning you will discover how the process reinforces positive thinking and with it your capacity to deal with stress. - 15252
It's easier to be ungrateful about the bad cards we are dealt than to be grateful for what we do have and achieve. Sometimes it takes disaster to make us grateful for the things that we take for granted: a roof overhead, a warm bed and hot shower. Identifying the things we should be grateful for is an exercise in positive thinking that can actually change the way that we feel and balance out the effects of stress.
Stress is caused by many factors, but it is defined as a maladaptive state where the individual is not in equilibrium with his or her surroundings. We now know that the distinction between the body and the mind is of limited usefulness. Trauma to the body can affect the mind and negative thoughts can affect the body. Stressful experiences that prompt negative emotions have a direct affect on the chemistry of the body. Our bodies produce hormones and other chemical substances, including adrenalin and cortisol, in response to threat and stress.
We are fortunate enough to have the opposite apply as well. Any calm environment and/or positive thoughts are able to combat both the physical and mental effects of stress. Taking a little time out of every day to concentrate on the positive - even a small period of time as little as five minutes - you can easily separate yourself from stressors and their effects.
The need to recognize those bursts of good fortune can have a radical effect on our perspective. Problems have a tendency to cast a dark cloud so to speak over the parts of our lives that are going well and distorting our perspective on things. Let's take for example that sense of panic we feel when tasks are uncompleted instead of giving ourselves some praise over what we did accomplish. When the period of stress is prolonged or extended, it is entirely possible for us to develop unhealthy patterns of jumping automatically to a negative conclusion. By focusing on those things that make us happy is a very powerful technique we can use to overcome that pattern of thinking negatively, thereby reducing stress as well as giving a boost to the immune system.
It may initially be difficult to identify those particular things you have to be grateful for, especially if you are already stressed, tense and can't see the forest for the trees. Take time to practice, and start with easy things such as a sunny day, or a new rose on your bushes. You will more than likely rely on hindsight to start, but with time and a little effort you will notice it becoming easier.
As you train yourself to recognize how many things you have to be grateful for, you will stop taking these things for granted. Seeing that flower blossoming will immediately trigger the recognition that there is much to celebrate. As you integrate this appreciation into your daily functioning you will discover how the process reinforces positive thinking and with it your capacity to deal with stress. - 15252
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Using gratitude to reduce stress can become a regular part of your day. Visit the Gratitude Circle Blog for tips for positive thinking and making gratitude an important part of your life. While you're there, claim your free subscription to the Gratitude Circle Newsletter, full of inspiring stories, articles and tips for maintaining a happier, more fulfilling life.
