Managing Stress From the Inside Out

Stress seems to be ubiquitous these days, judging from how often I hear the word used.  I see people who look anxious and being “busy” is epidemic.  I no longer buy into the idea that being busy is a badge of honor or affirming to my self-worth.

In fact, it was not until I re-ordered my life and created more balance and time for myself and other things that are important to me, that I started to feel more self-acceptance.

For one thing, I was able to actually feel again, and get out of my head.  What a treat!  The issue though, is that first I had to free myself from the negative self-talk that was provoking the negative feelings that I was running away from in my busyness in the first place.

What most people do not realize,is that the negative self-talk going on in your head is contributing to your stress levels – and there is scientific evidence to prove this now. About ten years ago, I started meditating for many reasons, and one of them was specifically to slow down my busy mind.  I wanted to learn how to deal with and release the negative self-talk.  

I had figured out that my feeling overwhelmed and stressed-out was related to my thoughts by process of elimination.  There was no significant research to support what I was doing back then.

At that time in my life, I had managed to slow my work schedule down to eight hours a week and had taken a break from performing surgery.  Yet, I still felt that there was not enough time or anything else – including me, meaning, I did not feel like I was “enough”.  This proved to me that the environment was not causing the stress, it was something inside of me provoking it.

While there has been much wisdom gained since that time, the one thing that I have done in my life that has sped up my journey the most is to start meditating.  Meditation can work wonders in so many ways.

Research has shown that it helps everything from stress, to high blood pressure, chronic disease and can be used to affect your genes.  Yes, this is not groundbreaking news, actually.

You can change your genes by how you think and feel and meditation is one approach.  There are several forms of meditation.  The form that is most beneficial to releasing the habit of stress is called Mindfulness meditation.  It is something that you also learn to use as you go about your day.  It works wonders!

I read recently that as of 2007, only 9.4 percent of adults surveyed had tried meditation.  This is why anti-depressants and other drug usage are so prevalent.  Until we start to take responsibility for finding new ways of being, of living healthy and conscious lives, we will be at the mercy of stress, disease and drugs.  The choice is yours.  Go within, or you will go without!

Managing stress starts from the inside out!

Comments

[Cecilia]

You are so right, re-ordering our life and re-ordering also our thoughts can make a new start possible. Stress is the biggest obstacle toward a healthy self-esteem.