Help With Stress

I think it's fair to say that stress comes with the territory.

Whether you work in a chocolate factory or in the city counting the days until your next bonus, stress is ever present. At home or at work, it's there, either looming over your shoulder whispering nasties into your ear, or stood down the end of the corridor pointing at you. In short, you can't escape.

OK that's my view of stress, but let's be fair there are others who say, 'why would you want to escape from stress?

These are the people who hold quite a common view these days. A point of view that says 'that stress is good for us'. That in some macabre way it is a driving force that we all need. A natural drug that keeps us pushing forward. On top of our game. A keen and competitive edge.

Well fine, that may be alright for some of us, but what if you were like me and the stress I knew? Stress that was uncontrollable and present in every area of my life. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I couldn't do anything without worrying about the consequences of my actions. I was rendered useless (for two years) by the stress that I allowed into my life. And that was my epiphany. My wake up call. That word. The word that stopped me in my tracks. ALLOWED.

I woke up. Of course, I suddenly realised. There was no one to blame but me. I had allowed everything that happened to me...to just...happen. I had not taken responsibility for the events in my life. I had let everything bad ride roughshod over me and was so busy complaining and suffering, that I couldn't see the good. Worse than that, I took no blame for the situations I found myself in. In my mind it was everybody else's fault.

For instance. The fact that I was overworked was because I alone had allowed it to be. It was nothing to do with my boss, far from it. He just thought he had a hardworking employee. He thought I had made a choice to work harder than anyone else because I was that kind of guy. How was he to know that I had literally worried myself into the position? How could he have any idea of the price I was now paying? I was a fool who couldn't see the wood for the trees.

It was when I had my ALLOWED moment that I started to look for ways and actions to combat my worries. To find pathways out of my dilemma. Ways that would help with my stress, help me with my health and for the love of God, help me sleep. I had let the stress monster wash over me and take control of my life and now I had to do something serious about it. In my case it was the internet that helped.

That's where I discovered Tai Chi. For others it may be different. All our stories are different. We are unique. My point being, all is not lost. There is help out there and plenty of it. And with the advent of tools like the internet all you got to do is look. DON'T GIVE UP. Remember...you are not alone.

Ian Fred Harris

http://www.thestrumpet.com
http://www.reassessyourstress.com