Erase Stress From Your Mind in 4 Easy Steps
Why are we happy? I think there is no single answer to this.
To be happy we have to talk in terms of emotions, thoughts, memories, instincts, intuitions and last but not the least - DREAMS. And this is where psychology comes in.“Don’t get stressed handling too many tasks at a single time.
Psychology as a subject deals with issues that most affect our lives. Issues like “Stress”. And may be living a stress-free life is a good way to happiness.
How Do We Get Stressed?
The simple answer is by Over Thinking.
We worry about things that we attach greater importance to in our lives. This causes us to imagine worst case scenarios about them. For example: One may get anxious before a job interview or a public appearance by thinking of all things that could go wrong.
We worry about things that we attach greater importance to in our lives. This causes us to imagine worst case scenarios about them. For example: One may get anxious before a job interview or a public appearance by thinking of all things that could go wrong.
Solution
But then again, we can control our stress in four easy steps. And these 4 steps are :
- Re-think what you really WANT
- Take a step back, relax before you push the WORRY button on
- Try your best but don't try to CONTROL everything
- Shift your focus to something you love to do
1. Re-Think what you really WANT
You need to eliminate the feeling of attachment or dependence upon something. It begins by thinking bigger. Let me explain.
You need to eliminate the feeling of attachment or dependence upon something. It begins by thinking bigger. Let me explain.
Suppose you are preparing for a big interview and you think that your life depends on it. You attach a great degree of importance to it and this increases your anxiety to perform better.
To turn the anxiety switch off you need to train your mind that there are great things that you can achieve even if you fail the interview. Shift your focus to the big picture and always have a plan B and C to your rescue.
In one sentence you should have a strong conviction that: “Your whole life can never depend on one single event. Life always has more to offer than you think it would.”
2. Take a step back, relax before you push the WORRY Button
2. Take a step back, relax before you push the WORRY Button
Rushing things up in a state of emergency is not the best way to handle it. Your reaction to the situation is of primary importance. When you don’t worry you take a back seat approach to solve things. You approach them calmly and act as normally as possible.
Your mind then works by focusing on the problem and not on concerning itself with anxious thoughts.
Even if your heart has gone into full throttle mode your mind is something that you can always learn to control. And there is a link between the two. Begin things fresh. Give your mind some time to absorb things. A calm mind always produces better results.
3. Try your best but don't try to CONTROL everything
The Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman says in his book that, “Luck plays a major role in every story of success.” That means we cannot fully control our destiny the only thing that we can do is try our best. If things go wrong, even if we tried our best, maybe its not all our fault in that.
Remember all the things that you can control and focus on them only. Ignore the rest. This way you will worry less about failing and pride yourself more in winning. It will destroy your helplessness to control the outcome of a process. And that is all that matters.
4. Shift your focus to something you love to do
4. Shift your focus to something you love to do
Never try to fight your heart by doing things at a harried pace. Try to go into a hibernation mode for some time....OR
focus on something that you love to do.
Go for a jog/walk; Read a book; Watch a film; Dine out with your best pal or family; Draw doodles; write a note to yourself; call up your seniors/mentors/friends;
Power of Mind
Our subconscious minds play a bigger role than we think they do. All of these - WANT, WORRY, CONTROL are present in our subconscious. And that is why they are difficult to find and to switch off. We need to develop a long-term approach to tackle and handle them or else stress will slowly kill our productivity. We need to learn from successful examples in our daily lives. We need to practice.
Let's think of these mentioned methodologies or Key Words as something written deep inside our minds. They are like stone carvings that will need time to erase. But once we erase them we get a clean canvas and can paint a new fresh picture.
Victor Ghoshe
is a Sr Adviser with BBC India. Ghoshe is a social thinker and a best-selling writer.
is a Sr Adviser with BBC India. Ghoshe is a social thinker and a best-selling writer.
Dakshata is his blog to share his insights with today's youth which he has developed
through 20 long years of corporate and social sector work
through 20 long years of corporate and social sector work
