Stress - Friend Or Foe

Stress - Friend or Foe

What is stress?

Stress is the wear and tear our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment; it has definite and specific physical and emotional effects on us that can create both positive and negative feelings. And as many of you experience during the holidays, it can run rampant.

But, is stress really the enemy that we've been told it is? Or is it possible that stress could be a friend? As a positive influence, stress can help compel us into action; it can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective on our situation, an existing relationship, even life.

Yes, it is true that as a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejections, anger and depression which in turn can lead to health problems. With the death of a loved one, birth of a child, change in job, change in residence, end of a relationship, divorce , or even the start of a new relationship, we experience stress as we readjust our lives to the changing circumstances. In adjusting to these changing circumstances, stress can either help or hinder us depending on how we react to it, what we think about it and how we choose to use it.

Positive stress can add anticipation and excitement to life. Deadlines and competitions add depth and enrichment to our lives. Positive stress motivates us and can be the driving force behind positive changes. The goal is not to eliminate stress, but to learn how to perceive it, manage it, control it and use it to help ourselves.

Remember, how we each perceive any event determines how we react to it physically and emotionally; and it also determines whether we perceive that event as a good thing or something to be dreaded.

Keep your focus on what you want and on how you want to feel, and use the stress in your life to move towards those images rather than focusing on all the obstacles you "might" encounter.

So, again, is stress a friend or a foe? When you take control and use stress rather than allowing it to use and control you, definitely a friend!

Linda Simmon, C.Ht. www.newhypnotherapy.com