Stress
How to maintain when the world around you is going nuts
How To Maintain
As a Performance Psychology Specialist/Coach (God I hate
all this hypey credential crap, but you need to know what I do)
I know that you go through a lot of varied emotions
during your working day.
Whether you are working online or offline, you still have
those elements that drive you NUTS!
You know what I’m talking about. You’re right at the end
of a new section you are writing, and your computer decides
that it’s time to take a nap. It quits and you are S.O.L.
(in case you don’t know what S.O.L. is, you might be able
to find one on Ebay – kidding of course).
You’re on a road with no one behind you, yet someone
decides that they need to get out of their driveway
before you reach it. The catch is that they wait until
they can read the VIN number on your windshield!
You are either holding your breath in hopes that you will
pass out, stretch down your foot so that it pushes down hard on the
gas pedal, and you can take out that crazy S.O.B. (also on Ebay)
but not yourself (you’re relaxed, remember?).
We all have our good days (been waiting for 27 years now), and
our bad days (yep, today was another one for me). But, they
come and go.
How To Maintain Yourself
Now how do we combat, and work with the things that we
really can’t do much about?
I have mentioned getting organized. Getting more organized
can take a lifetime of aggravation away for many people.
Not everyone is very good at it. Actually, most people
are not. I am one who is not, even though I know most of
the tricks, tips, and ins and outs of the “How To’s”.
I think it is mostly inbred. I have a step son who when he
was only 3 years old used to line up his toys in lines.
His sister was different. She would take all of the books
off of a shelf and throw them in piles on the floor, also
all of the pots and pans she could manage to get out
of the cabinets.
Sister has a PhD, and brother is in the Navy. Sister still
make piles on the floor, and brother has no choice but
to line things up in an orderly fashion – including himself.
Damn! went off on another tangent. See, I’m not all that
organized. So, if you are not, and if something helps me,
it should certainly help you.
On the other hand, if you ARE organized . . . HELP!
I want to know your secrets!
Okay, back to not being serious.
When you have to deal with things that are
just ungodly awful, and you want to vomit
on your boss, do-worker(s), dog, wife, or
whatever and whoever, you will want to do
one of two things:
1. Go ahead and vomit! Do the projectile thing
so that you get the most benefit out of it.
OR,
2. Open the door to the box that you are presently in,
and take a look at what is happening – from the outside.
If everyone else is nuts, do you have to be? No!
You always have choices. Sometimes it is more effective
to stand up, stand your ground, and be firm. At other times
it is just as easy to just listen, don’t take what is said
personally, and move on.
Yes, when do you stand firm, and when do you listen.
If you are trying to be efficient, which is turn leads to
better productivity, the sooner that you get out of any
turmoil, the better. Agreed? Okay.
When you are in a situation that is very important,
affects others (as well as you), and you KNOW
that something is the wrong thing, then it is good
to stand your ground.
On the other hand, if someone (like the motorist
who likes to read VIN numbers) take you on, or
a co-worker gives you grief, then isn’t it best to
grab a cold drink (well, maybe that kind, just don’t drive),
and give yourself “Brain Freeze” and “Chill”?
This is easier to do for some people, but not so
easy for others. That said, it is never really “Easy”.
What you do is just mentally tell people off and
keep your mouth shut. Take those deep breaths,
and walk away.
Efficiency, organization, work habits, and a multitude
of other facets all go into being more productive.
If you want to get more productive, then you really
should check this out.
To your continued success,
Bob
How Can I Make Life Easier And More Fun?
Have you ever asked yourself “How can I make life easier and more fun?”
While there is no easy answers to how you can make life easier, and no one but you knows what is making you unhappy, there are certain things that you might be able to do to cheer yourself up a bit.
One thing is to stay busy. The more things that you do, the more interactive that are with others, and the more that you try to learn new things, the less likely it is that you will have time to be sitting around feeling glum.
Staying productive is one of nature’s best remedies for throwing off depression and anxieties. While the learning, and doing new things may bring about newer anxieties, they are of a different kind. The anxieties that you will experience from doing new things, and staying busier are not inner-directed, but outer-directed. That is to say that they become frustrations that will help to keep you motivated. While this is not necessarily true for everyone, it is something that most people find helpful, and can make life easier for you.
For those still having difficulties, then it is important to talk with people,or a professional to sort out why certain feelings continue to arise. Just asking yourself “How can I make my life easier” is not going to solve the problems, it is doing something, and managing your time wisely that will help you to be happy and find more meaning in the things that you do.
a couple of other things that can help are that you can get a bit more organized. If you are not very well organized, you will find that you may not be able to find things that you need very easily. You lose bills that need to be paid, and end up having to pay late fees because you could not find your bill in time.
Make Life Easier
Another very important thing that you can do is to focus on what is important. Is it really important to you to watch that re-run of Gilligan’s Island, or do you think that it might be more important to call your friend because it’s his/her birthday? Is it more important to sleep in that extra hour and be late for work, or make a good impression on your peers and bosses by being on time every day? These are things that only you can decide, and each have their consequences.
To make yourself happy you must try to find just what it is in life that makes you happy, and what will motivate you to do something.
What do you like to do? What do you enjoy doing that passes the time. Almost anything that you can think of can even be a living for you if that is what you desire.
If you like watching movies, you could be a movie critic, but you probably need to go so school to find out what the process of evaluation will look like. If you like playing video games, then there are people who are reviewing video games for a living. If you like showing people things, then why not start a blog. You can help a lot of people by answering questions for them. There is always something that you know more about than someone else.
Doing my best so that you can do yours,
Bob
Are You A Stressful Thinker Needing Help?
Are you a stressful thinker
Do you harbor thoughts that are stress producing,
or stress reducing?
Do you walk along the beach and think about the
shark that might jump out of the water at you,
and grab that drink out of your hand?
OR,
Do you walk on the beach and enjoy the water
washing up on the shore, and the sunset that
shines on the water and waves?
When the movie “Shark” first came out many years
ago, some people were so affected by it that they
did not even want to take a bath.
Sounds a bit silly now, but many people were so
frightened that they became irrational.
So today, you may have many problems that send
you into thinking about the worst case scenario,
“Only the worst can come out of this”.
OR,
You may decide that the only way out is to
sit down and think of what you can do to minimize
the fallout from the problem.
Two different lines of thought, but the same problem.
The first way, the stressful thinker way, is only going to produce
more anxiety, and likely more problems, health
not excluded.
When you are faced with a difficult situation,
and everything seems hopeless, rather than
giving up because you just can’t seem to find any answers,
talking to a friend, or a professional
should not be ruled out.
When you feel more stressed, you tend to think
to yourself in more stressful terms. For example,
if your car has a flat tire on the road, you may
begin to wonder, “What caused this”? Then you begin to
think well maybe there might be something else wrong
that could have contributed to the flat.
Never mind that you just ran over a nail,
your car is now starting to fall apart.
Funny thing is, it is only two days old.
Aren’t you happy that it is still under warrantee?
If you find yourself in a stressful situation,
you will want to try to calm yourself down,
take that deep breath, and don’t panic.
You can’t solve problems in panic mode.
The sooner you face the problem, the easier
it will be for you in the long run.
Pessimist, optimist. Your glass half-empty,
or half full. Whatever philosophy that you
have for dealing with stress, it is important
to be able to face your stressors head on,
or they will control you, instead of
you being in control.
Doing my best,
to help you do yours.
Bob