Anger, rage, bitterness, depression, self-doubt, feelings of helplessness and so on, are all negative forms of stress. Stress is the response of your body, mind, emotions or spirit to any demand made upon them. Your life is constantly changing and may be stressful because all of these elements have to continually adapt to new demands made upon them- Some stress is necessary and good. Cheering when your favorite team scores points is exciting and stressful, but it’s good stress. Good stress has been called the spice of life. Without good stress, life would be deadly boring.
The stress I experienced when I first kissed my wife-to-be over 30 years ago was good stress. It must have been—I immediately fell down some steps. (Talk about a powerful kiss!) It’s only when stress becomes distress that you have to start worrying. The stress promoted by angry, negative thoughts is distress. And where enough distress is found, disease is sure to follow.
Some stress, like, some facts, comes from outside of us, and we can’t do much about it. If you accidently drop a hammer on your toe, for example, it hurts and you’re distressed. Hammer-on-toe-causing-pain is a distressing fact. But you have a choice. You can get mad, yell and scream, and increase your distress. You can turn your feelings inward, seeing the accident as another example of how unfair life is, and thereby also increase your distress. Or you can limit your distress by accepting the pain and making it a point to be more careful in the future.
Medical researchers have looked at the way people tend to view potentially distressful events and have designated three general categories: Type A, B and C personalities. I like to call these groups Stress Seekers (Type A), Stress Phobics (Type C) and Stress Handlers (Type B).
*129\80\8*
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.