Beat Stress Before Stress Beats You: Nip It And Write

Beat Stress Before Stress Beats You

Nip It And Write

A quote from a familiar Aesop's Fable "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" was recently brought to mind:  "A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety." The daily grind of stress is something everyone has to deal with at some point: the tension and pressures that occur just from life being lived. One must deal with difficulties and try to persevere in the accelerated and high pressured world where one lives or one will quite possibly and  may eventually succumb to the stresses.  These include such difficulties and experiences as a new birth, death, fears, job loss or change, health crises or issues, family turmoil, family changes or needs, and anger that will affect their lives for better or worse,  sooner or later.  If the stressors  are not dealt with, then the individual may begin to experience an array of emotional and physical ills that are a result of these pressures getting the better of them.  Even if a person can escape the detrimental effects from the tension for a time, it is possible that he or she will not be able to avoid the result of what the added strain from these adjustments in life bring.  Is there another way to deal with these hassles?  How can one deal with these times of testing and pressure?

Under Pressure by Paul freeddigitalphotos.net

One way is by writing in a journal or just writing on simple pad and paper about what is bothering them.  With this emotional outlet there is frequently resolution and catharsis simply by being able to express those fears and anxieties.  It may be the way that a person  can find the answers that they need. Setting those feelings and thoughts down on paper, especially during times when an outlet is needed, is a very effective way to handle difficulties appropriately.   When one is  feeling as if he can't unburden himself in any other way, and that he can't impose on a friend or relative, and he needs to gain focus on what the real issue/s  is/are, then this may be the method that he needs to try and explore.  Even if he is seeing a professional for a particular problem, writing down concerns and solutions may be what helps him to unravel a problem enough to gain the necessary understanding and discover an appropriate answer with a therapist.

A way to reduce stress is to just start to list whatever seems to be preventing you from peace or happiness.  You may want to brainstorm some possible solutions to the obstacles that you face so that you gain more clarity, order, and calmness.   Here are some steps you may want to follow:

Write the list of stressors causing you issue at this time
Next, try to focus on solutions beside each issue
Make each solution an action that you can use.
Do avoid ideas about how things won't or can't work as this can become a way that you enslave yourself in the negative emotion.
Deal with what you can handle first and then deal with the more overwhelming issues later.  In this way you will find that you have smaller successes to build on.
If you are unable to do the above just try to write about an imagined or real place that you find relaxing.  Yes, it is like guided imagery that you create for yourself on paper.  You need to imagine being there and relaxing there.  It is the place, the nirvana, that you visit you live.
At times, especially for anxiety or anger, it is a better idea to free write.  This is a kind of stream of consciousness writing where you write whatever comes into your mind.  You are not looking at this point to create beautiful prose or to be grammatically correct. It is meant to weed out bothersome issues clogging your life and creativity and cut them off where they grow.
Sometimes ripping up or burning the issues that you write that make you angry help by virtual destruction.  Then again, you may also want to keep them in a book that you keep in a secure place for later review.

Interestingly it has been found that when people write about events that cause them anxiety they have less stress and fewer resultant illnesses, and as a result fewer doctor's visits, better sleep, and better overall immune function.  It has also been found that among the people who journal to solve their problems there are fewer incidents of dementia later in life. The act of working through issues and creating by writing is an outward flow of energy and is such a productive act that has the added benefit of making the individual feel useful, invigorated, and relaxed.  Just by sitting in a quiet and calm place and writing for five to seven minutes, as one would in the exercise examples above, is actually therapeutic and allows the participant to deepen their consciousness thus allows their own genius, intuition and the discovery of appropriate answers to their problems to surface.  It has been found that by doing this exercise the individual, who is actually using both sides of their brain; the right side or the experiencing side and the left or the methodically, solution-seeking side that uses language, is harnessing more brain power and is unblocking their road to happiness.

So it is time to learn to weed stress at its roots. Allow the seeds of insight and creativity to grow and flower.  Stop feeling overwhelmed, enjoy the banquet.  Feast on more than the crust. Have the full course of gratification and peace of mind; you deserve it.  Beat that stress now and write.

Deb

Filed under: inspiration, journal, problem-solving, stress, writing, journal, diary, resolve, worked, relax., Writer's Life