Turning Stress into Strength

Turning Stress into Strength: Thriving in an Age of Uncertainty

A few years ago someone told me, you can have it all, just not all at once. But who knew then that a shrinking global economy and an age of color-coded anxiety could overshadow and supersede our dreams for the future?

It’s happened before. And those who survived and triumphed despite the oddsthe cruelty of concentration camps, the Great Depression, metastatic cancercan teach us how to thrive in the face of excruciating uncertainty. In fact, their advice is more than a mindset, but a chemical reality–a proven by-product–that alters the way our immune system responds to threats or invaders.

Transforming stress into strength isn’t about magical thinking but is a skill set that can be learned. And like any other skill, it begins by capitalizing on where we’re athonestly assessing where we stand and gaining momentum from there. Anne Sexton’s advice is surprisingly handy here:Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard. Since stress begins with our perception or interpretation, it’s a very personal process. And if we don’t know how or what we’re feeling, we’re coming up short. Unfortunately, most of us rely on the past to tell us how we’re feeling today. That can be risky business.

Making the assumption that we haven’t changed, even in the last five years, can lead to discontentment, short tempers, hurried and harried lives. It may be time for a refresher courseon you. Contrast that with the energy teenagers expend on self-discovery: aptitude and personality testing, experimenting with different hobbies and skillseach new challenge offering a sense of adventure.

If that sounds like a formula for creating stress, not abating it, think about the physics involved in resonance. If you were to hit the E’ note on a piano and a guitar happened to be on the opposite site of the roomthe very same note will vibrate on the guitar. Similarly, your physical body responds to resonance and congruence [harmony between thoughts, feelings and actions] with a high energy level and feelings of well-being. Paying attention to how you feel in little things helps fine-tune your choices and upgrade the quality of your life–reducing stress in the process. Tuning into who we are and what we need results in healthier choices all the way around and perhaps less of our favorite fixes–be it a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia or a Gin & Tonic.

You can quickly and easily get to know yourself again with these two simple suggestions:

1. Make a list of five things you enjoy doing and five things that you dislike. Then list how often you engage in each.

2. Over the next few weeks, before you do anything [rake leaves, run errands, watch a movie, entertain friends] rate on a scale of 1-10 how much you think you will enjoy that particular activity. Afterwards rate the actual experience and compare. Spend the next few weeks observing your responses to various activities and people.

Take notes on yourself as if you were getting to know someone for the first time. Don’t take anything for granted. Sometimes the simplest pleasures result in the biggest dividends. Everything and everyone offers a glimmer of self-discovery and something to take back home, into your heart and into your awareness.

This article was written by Brenda Stockdale. To get more great advice from Diva Toolbox Media Diva Brenda Stockdale, visit her website at: http://www.brendastockdale.com/


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *