Stress Management

Hi, good afternoon. This is Bill Chan again with The 5 Elements of a Fulfilling Life at 5Element5.com.

I want to talk to you today about stress; we're under pressure.

With the pandemic, inflation is skyrocketing, and we can't afford to buy houses anymore because it's so expensive, and then we look at recession coming around the corner; this is overwhelming for anybody, so what can we do to manage our stress?

If we don't manage our stress, it could harm our health and mental status.

So stress is directly linked to all types of chronic illnesses, metabolic syndromes, digestive issues, and mental issues: like depression or anxiety. 

So what can we do about it right now?

Every one of us, as long as we're living, we're going to have stress, we're going to have problems uh when I was working for Dale Carnegie, one of the best things I learned was that the only people that don't have any worries in life are the people laying in the graveyard. You want to be something other than one of those, right?

So the more you live, the more problems you'll have in life at the moment.

How we view those problems makes a huge difference.

We can view it negatively, or we can use view it positively.

Stress can be a good thing, like our muscles; if we lift weights, the more we lift actually uh to your maximum capacity, it truly breaks your muscles down and then rebuilds them, so it will help you to build a more muscular body and by lifting and putting stress on it as well as your bones.

So what can we do about all those stress?

If we think of stress as a challenge versus this problem, then we see it in a more positive light; I mentioned last time there was a study that Harvard did.

This study found that if people see stress as a positive thing, it helps them live longer, so stress could be good.

The other way to manage stress is to look at your problem and think about the worst-case scenario, the best-case scenario, and the most likely outcome from something you're worrying about.

So, you prepare some action steps if the worst-case scenario should happen and the best case, but most likely, both of those may not even occur.

What is the most likely case, and what can you do about it?

Most things we worry about don't happen, so we end up stressing over nothing.

It's all a mindset issue, so live in the present, live now don't worry about what happens tomorrow.

Then the other way you can release stress is to exercise; I love exercising, so go for a good run and do some Tai Chi or yoga.

It will release a lot of stress when you sweat a lot. It helps the dopamine flood your brain, making you feel more excited.

Two, you can meditate; you can meditate and relax your body, or you can do a massage. You can do breathing exercises to relax your body and heart rate so you're worried less.

Find a friend, talk to a friend. If you can talk it out often, it feels much better.

Go for a walk, go for a swim, and then the one other thing you can do with stress management is thinking about how I can grow out of a situation; if you can learn from every situation, then you might be able to find a sea of opportunity that can help you germinate.

So in every failure, there's an equal and opposite benefit; Napoleon Hill said, "look for the positive side and continue to learn." 

Learning is one of the best things in the world because as you grow your skills and knowledge, it may be much less daunting the next time you confront the same problem.

Are you okay? Do you have a lot less stress now? So relax, do deep breathing, and live in the present.

That's the most important thing about living in the present, living today, and not worrying too much about tomorrow. Thank you!