You may even believe that stress is a necessary part of life. Isn't everyone stressed out about something? I mean, isn't life inherently stressful? Isn't stress, on some level, a good thing if you are engaged in a meaningful pursuit? The stressed out mother is doing the best she can. Surely, there is good in that kind of stress. The stressed out teacher is trying every trick in the book to get through to her students. This kind of stress has value, right? Wrong.
All stress is a sign of internal imbalance and paralyzing fear. These conditions are harmful to our health and our mental clarity. Life is indeed inherently challenging. You don't get past your first few baby steps without some form of challenge. That's true for everyone - the millionaire as well as the pauper. Challenge is an inescapable (and necessary) part of life, but not stress. Think of it like this: the gifted athlete who is training for the Olympics is faced with challenges each day he practices. He has the challenge of completing difficult drills over and over again. He works his butt off in order to be the best.
Challenges, viewed correctly, are needed to help us be better - to help us grow. When we face a challenge with the right attitude, we are forced to become bigger, stronger, faster...some grander version of ourselves in order to overcome the challenge. This has immense benefits to our physical and spiritual health. Stress is different. Stress is not about becoming better to overcome a challenge. Stress is - plain and simple - a manufactured internal reaction that is steeped in fear. Stress does not move us forward, but literally paralyzes our reactions and causes a harmful shift in the body's chemical make-up. Stress is deadly, perhaps the deadliest thing around. Stress should be avoided at all cost. It has no value. Zero.
So how do we get rid of stress? Firstly, let's make sure we realize that no-one or no thing can stress us out. We manufacture our own stress. Remember that. You have the copyright and patent to your stress. No-one other than you can create your stress. Aha!....therein lies the answer. If we manufacture our own stress (believe me, we do) then we can do away with it altogether. Yes! It is possible. Here are some tips to help you live a stress-free life.
1. Never again blame anything that happens outside of you for your stress. Take full responsibility for your internal state. If you are stressed out, realize that you are manufacturing the stress based on your perceptions. Stress is never imposed from without; it always arises from within.
2. Begin a meditative practice right away. Many of us living in the West are afraid of meditation. We think it's some strange Eastern practice that only monks do. If you think like this, wake up! Meditation is nothing more than quieting the mind for a period. This has well documented, proven beneficial effects (not the least of which is reducing stress).
3. Become more aware of the moments when you feel stressful and ask yourself: What is causing my stress? And, What is the benefit of me being stressed right now? You will begin to realize (if you do this routinely) that your stress is manufactured by you and that it is not helping you. It is very likely it is making you sick, causing you to have headaches and hijacking your sleep. Remember, your stress has no value.
4. Discover your passion and take action - I know this is not so simple, but believe me when I tell you that persons who are passionate about what they do are able to face many challenges without being paralyzed by stress. Stress is not a sign of being busy, it is a sign of being lost internally. When your internal compass is off, just about anything - any unexpected change, any challenge, any discomfort - causes stress. Becoming balance within is the panacea for stress. Being balanced within certainly does not remove life's challenges - nothing can - but it allows us to face challenges without becoming stressed (i.e. paralyzed with fear).
So there you have it. 4 effective tips for eradicating stress forever. Rather than doubt whether or not it is possible to rid yourself of stress, take action and implement these 4 simple tips. I am certain that in time you will notice that stress is not inescapable. When a few days go by without you feeling any stress, you will know that stress is - and always has been - a self-inflicted condition.
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