STRESS KILLS
One of the greatest
threats to our health is stress. It is a critical factor in almost all diseases
of aging, especially heart disease and cancer.
The key to successful
stress management is and how one responds to a stressful event.
Last Saturday, my
wife called me and said she was in a minor accident and needed me.
When I arrived at the
scene, I discovered it was only a fender bender and there were no injuries. My
wife was in her car with the air-conditioning on.
I could tell she was
extremely upset and filled with stress.
After I got her to
relax, I asked what she was stressed about.
It wasn't the
accident, it was over the perception that our insurance rates would increase
and she would get points or even lose her driving license.
But that wasn't all.
My wife was stressed over the way she was treated by a 17-year-old female high
school student, who continually berated her with negative words including the F
bomb.
I share this story to
drive home an important message. We can't escape stressful events, but we can
control how we respond.
The main reason
people respond poorly is they let their emotional right brain override their
logical left brain. The emotion that affects stress the most is fear and fear
is all about your perception.
In most cases that
perception never turns into reality.
This was a great
learning experience for my wife as she now understands how to take control of
stressful situations without having them taking control of you.
How about you? Do you
find it hard to respond in a relaxed and confident manner when confronted with
stressful events or toxic people?
Share with me your
thoughts on this story and how it relates to you.
