The fast-paced, technologically advanced, complex world has brought many changes to our lives. The pace of change does not seem to be decreasing, but rather increasing all the time. These changes put more demands and pressures on each of us to make adjustments to do more with less. While stress is a definite modern world reality, being “stressed-out” is not. We incorrectly believe that being stressed-out is “just the way it is.” And we often get in fight with each other about who suffers the worst!
This is silly thinking. Stress can be a powerful motivator in our lives, and in fact, you can discover to use stress to your advantage. If you think about it—one form of stress or another is responsible for everything big and small in our world. For example, the earth “stresses” a piece of coal until it turns into a beautiful diamond. The key is to find out how you can use the stress in your life to produce a diamond out of a rock!
As with most things in life, prevention is the greatest medicine. By learning about your personal health risks, family history, current health, and life choices (eating, exercise, smoking, drinking, stress) you can make smarter decisions. Ultimately, your life choices affect how you feel and how you function.
Stress management comes down to self-management. It is about choosing appropriate options as well as making smart decisions.
The best way to avoid “burn out” is to become aware of your distinctive stressors and coping mechanisms. Burn out comes from experiencing stress over a prolonged period and often leads to a visit to the doctor. There are many ways to alleviate stress, however, you must find what works best for you and commit to doing it on a daily basis.
