Got Stress?? Chapter Three
Author: Merle McGuire

GOT STRESS??

Of course you do! We all have stress in our lives. This an excerpt from the GOT STRESS?? E-book. This book will help you learn skills and give you tools to recognize and manage your stress.

CHAPTER THREE

GOT STRESS??

How to increase your stress! (also known as How to Have a Really Bad Day).

1. Sleep through the alarm – heart race, the mind races- I’ll be late for work, the kids will be late for school, I’ll be behind all day, yada, yada, yada. Yes, you might be late for work or the kids might be late for school. Will this change whether or not you worry about it? Can you make arrangements with your boss to catch the time up? If you are the boss then you know when you can make up the time or tend to details that needed to be taken care of. I know from experience that making arrangement to take care of missed classes or details is something that most teachers, instructors or bosses are considerate of. Slow your mind so that your heart rate can slow also.

2. Rush to get ready for your day – no shower, hair won’t behave, don’t make the bed throw clothes around, stub toe, heart still racing, stomach upset too, and toe hurts, dress hurriedly, feel only partly “put together”. You are already off your schedule for the day. Will it really make a big difference if you are an extra half hour late? The bed doesn’t really need to be made that instant. Rushing around and hurting yourself isn’t really going to improve the situation and no one wants to go through a day feeling only partly put together. Most of the time these kinds of actions only lead to more mistakes and frustration throughout the day.

3. Have breakfast – or not, eat standing, have just coffee. Sit down, take a breath, and at least have a glass of juice or a piece of fruit. If you take control of your breath, slow your heart rate, and settle your stomach a bit you may begin to feel human again by noon.

4. No time for morning spiritual reflection or exercise – all plans for the day change – don’t adapt well to change. Who have been the known survivors in all species? Science has proven that those of each species who have capable adaptation skills are the survivors, the ones who have strength. All right, so plans have changed, do a quick stretch as you brush your teeth or instead of the half hour meditation spend two minutes thinking of things that you are grateful for. I guarantee that if you become thankful you are unable to remain worried or fearful

5. Beat yourself up – stayed up too late, shouldn’t have, lazy you, stupid. This is just ludicrous. I know that we all do beat ourselves up but when we look at it logically, doesn’t it seem silly. And that’s all I have to say about that!

6. Drive or walk to work – start your day with your mind already there. Stay present. If you are driving, pay attention to what you are doing while you listen to some music. You are in the vehicle for a certain amount of time anyway so how can it help you to place your mind ahead of you planning something that you really have no idea how it is going to turn out anyway. If you are walking, look at the trees, the flowers, or watch people.

7. No smiles – face is worried, scared, frown, negative attitude, negative thoughts. How can this help? Does it serve you?

8. Don’t look forward to your day or your work with happiness – necessary evil, have to! Criticize, complain, blame, condemn, dictate, direct, command, nag, grumble all day long. First of all, you don’t really HAVE TO do anything, even work. If you are a complainer, blamer, nagger or grumbler, or any of the other things listed above what comes back to you?

9. Skip lunch to catch up – have coffee and donut, no breaks, no relaxation, no breath, keep rushing. Yep!

10. Be strong – keep it all to yourself – be resentful, don’t say how you are thinking or feeling, internalize all the stress of your day. If you are having “one of those days” ask a co-worker for support. Most of us feel honoured and needed if someone comes to us and says simply that they re having a bad day and would like our support. If this privilege is not misused it can be one of our greatest supports. It is not a weakness to ask for help, it shows great strength.

11. Drive or walk home from work with your mind already there. Same as going to work. You don’t really know how your evening is going to go. You may have a general idea but in real life there are always detours and surprises. Be present where ever you are – this really takes the pressure off. After all this is the only moment we can live at this time.

12. Get through dinner – curse, gripe, get angry, eat a lot, or be silent with your family. What do you think? This is actually the way many families do meals though. Often if we show interest in another person, our spouse or our children, our own annoyances become less prominent. It can be a lot of fun to really find out how another’s day has gone and mealtime is usually a time when most of the family is in one place at the same time.

13. Worry about getting through (catching up) tomorrow. Show me the law that says we must worry. We will either catch up or we won’t. Worrying about it will change nothing about it. Use your brain power in another way.

14. Have a snack, watch the news after a crime show, or sitcom. Sitcoms make fun of and judge any and everything. Crime shows point out the same kinds of things that are happening in the news every day with a glamorous slant. Is a steady habit of this conducive or helpful to the way we really wish to see things. We really don’t care to have others judge us, though we continue to judge others. We don’t care for all the crime and corruption in our world though we continue to support stories and television programs that provide us with a steady diet of this and call it entertainment.

15. Go to bed with worried, negative thoughts, and a full stomach, be sure to set the alarm for an earlier hour so you can “catch up” tomorrow. What a cycle!

If this works well in your life then repeat the same – day after day after day after day. It doesn’t work for most people.

What if we learned to regularly offer ourselves choices in the way we handle stress? What if we made a conscious effort to choose the way we wished to respond to the predictable stress in our day in the same way that we choose the clothing that we are going to wear that day. Making a different choice might allow us to achieve a healthy state in our bodies and our mind rather than a state of dis-ease. If we can make the choice to react to a situation or circumstance in anger or with worry, fear, frustration, or judgement then why would we not look at the choice of reacting instead without judgement. How can it help to worry? Does it change the situation if we worry about it – if we are frustrated? Seems like a lot of energy wasted, with very little accomplished. What if this energy were directed to another emotion, a solution? Rather than concentrate on the problem with fear, anger, worry, and frustration, look for a solution. Direct your life as if it were a motion picture. Place yourself in the roles of writer, director, producer, and actor. Plan the choice you might make in any situation – write your own script. You are the star of your own show. Direct your emotions – you are capable and have the choice to do this. Produce the replacement emotion (your choice) and use it as a solution. Act in the way that aligns with the choice you have made to resolve whatever issue comes before you.







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Merle McGuire is a massage therapist who received her training in Canada. Merle’s training in anatomy, physiology, pathology and pharmacology helps her to allow others gain insight into how their bodies react to stress, pain and relaxation. She strongly believes the most valuable thing in our lives is the choices we make. By offering insight and skills that you can easily learn to use to help yourself Merle would like to help you discover choices you can make that will lead to improved health, happiness, and well being. Merle's “Got Stress??” E-book can be found on the BodyWealth Network at www.BodyWealth.Net. Visit us today and fast track your way to greater health and abundant wealth.

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