Warrior Wisdom Wednesday – 4 Easy Steps to Reframing Stress

“If you correct your mind the rest of your life will fall into place.” – Lao Tzu

Are you a victim of your own thinking process?

Have you ever wondered why some people are constantly bombarded by stress while others, under the same exact conditions, stay calm and maintain a rock-solid composure?

Stress is a constant feature in our modern-day world causing havoc on so many lives but does it have to? According to Dr. Derek Roger’s groundbreaking research, you can be completely free from stress. His work shows that you don’t have to constantly be managing stress which puts you in a victim mode; a slave to stress.

It sounds too good to be true but let’s break this proven principle down. First, we must make a distinction between acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is short-lived while chronic stress is long term.

Roger’s research suggests that the answer to the question of why some people live under constant stress and others don’t is found in how they handle acute stress. Those that ruminate excessively create chronic stress. It is the weight and the energy they put into worrying that actually causes the stress to grow out of control.

If you are giving so much thought and weight to worry, you are creating a situation of chronic stress. So what can you do?

The secret to reducing stress is to, first of all, reframe it as pressure. Pressure is defined as the demand to perform; much like a professional athlete learns how to perform under pressure.  Once you see stress as pressure, you can strategize a plan to formulate a solution to your problem instead of worrying excessively about it.

The key is to not ruminate or worry between the pressure and the solution; it is the worry factor that turns pressure into stress.

A formula that works really well to overcome worry and reduce stress is to ground yourself when triggered or stressed:

1. Press pause
2. Identify the trigger
3. Breathe slowly for at least 6 seconds
4. Choose what you want to think to replace the worrisome thoughts

This principle is life-changing if you use it. I’d love to hear how it’s working for you.

Keep believing,
Rita

Always remember – Nothing is Impossible