“Stress is entirely a creation of our mind.” [Click to Tweet this]
Stress is terrible. It affects every single part of your body. You get headaches, stomach aches, clammy hands, sweaty hands, increases heart rate, muscle twitches, clenched jaws, high blood pressure…& then there’s this:
- 43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
- 75% to 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
- Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the workplace. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.
- The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions.
Stress is HUGE. Yet, it is absolutely nothing.
By itself, “stress” is nothing – it’s not an actual thing. Stress is merely defined as our response to a stressor, such as an environmental condition or a stimulus. So, how we interpret something – this is how stress is created.
At its core, stress is the relationship between our perceived demands (how much work we have to do) and our perceived capabilities (how able we are to perform this work).
Tweet this: “Stress Is The Relationship Between Our Perceived Demands & Our Perceived Capabilities.“
So, if your perceived demands are higher than your perceived capabilities, this triggers stress. Essentially, if you start to think you have what it takes to perform the duties that are on your plate, you’ll feel stress.
If you don’t have enough time, money, patience, intelligence, beauty, etc., etc., etc., to do what you have to do, you start to go a little crazy.
But when you think back to the fact that these are all perceived notions, it changes everything. When we DON’T think we have enough _____ to perform ____, we get stressed. But when we DO think we have enough ____ to perform ____, we love it. This is easy to us. This is stressless & enjoyable.
So, when you change your approach, perspective and attitude toward a situation you’re in, it changes EVERYTHING.
Crazy how much our body is affected by what is conjured up in our minds, right?
While this might not do much for the stressors in your life right now, simply breaking down the word and realizing that “stress” is something we create and control is very empowering. Try it…I guarantee this increased mindfulness practice will relieve some of your stress.
I’d love to hear how you combat stress & aim to reduce it…comment below!
Image Credit >> (Big Stock Photo)
