As long as I’ve been in business stress has been a topic of discussion. We all have experienced it at one time or the other. Some of us deal with it appropriately by realizing the detrimental effects it has on our physical, mental, and emotional being and take corrective action. Others tend to not deal with it at all, which results in experiencing the affects in body, mind and emotion. Whether you experience the results or not, the real issue is not that we have it, but how we deal with it.
Energy Performance Tip:
A dear friend of mine emailed me this example given by a person who was explaining stress to her group. He held up a glass of water and asked the group how heavy it was. The responses ranged from 20 to 100 grams. Then he suggested that the weight didn’t really matter. What does matter is how long you hold up the glass of water. If you hold it for a few seconds it’s really not a problem. Hold it for an hour and you get an ache in your arm. But if you hold it all day you have a real problem. The speaker continued by saying that in each case the weight is the same, but the longer you hold it the heavier it becomes.
How long do you hold the issues or the people that bug you? Keep them for a few minutes and you’re okay, but if you keep them for days, look out! The trick is to put them down as soon as possible. The longer you hold the burdens the more energy you use worthlessly.
In Bill Crawford’s book All Stressed Up and Nowhere to Go he states that, “Stress is a signal that something needs to change…suffering is when we don’t make the change.” I would add to this that, “Stress is the poor utilization of personal energy on things that ultimately will cause us suffering.” What you give energy to is reinforced in your life. Energy is not concerned with whether the issue is positive or negative.
“Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” Albert Einstein
“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” - Sydney J. Harris
Energy Development Tips:
Here are a few Energy Tips to help you deal with your stress.
• Separate problems from conflicts – We all experience problems. Conflicts occur when someone has to be right and the other person has to be wrong. Stay away from “right” and “wrong.” View information for what it is and leave off the judgment.
• Stay away from those who drain your energy – Some people make it a habit to take more energy than they give – Hang around them as little as possible. I like the wisdom of a little four year old giving advice to his friend – “Stay away from prunes.” Some people are like prunes, they may look sweet but consequences are terrible.
• When all else fails – repose! – When you can do nothing, do nothing - all answers come in time.
• Be selective about who and what gets your energy – If you try to give energy to everyone and everything you will end up with an empty tank. Pick and choose where your energy goes.
“One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terrible important.” - Bertrand Russell
“Half of our life is spent trying to find something to do with time we have rushed through life trying to save.” - Will Rogers
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