Our health insurance has an online wellness center that has a lot of little classes you can take. Last week they sent me an email reminding me that if I wanted to win a weekend getaway, I'd better get busy and finish my Stress Management Lifestyle Improvement Course pronto. I could use a weekend at a spa, let me tell you, so I've been doing a some here and there the last few days.
I am currently on Phase 2 Step 1, and yesterday it talked about how to assess your personal stress level and take a balanced approach to the everyday stress in your life. Paraphrased (this is what I wrote down and put up on my desk so I can memorize it):
1. Appraise
Does the situation threaten me OR does it provide and opportunity that could turn into something good?
2. Letting Go
Can I let go? Is the situation out of my control OR can I do something about it?
3. Be Rational
Is this a hassle or a HUGE EMERGENCY?
Going through these three steps whenever a person, place or thing begins to cause stress in your life seems like a lot of work, but it also seems as though it might actually help sort the daily wheat from the chaff and make my life easier.
The first instruction was really an interesting thing to me. I am great at reflecting back on something and realizing what a fabulous lesson it was; I am not as good at being grateful for a trial in the middle of it. I think I would like to be and so I am going to work on that. Cultivating flexibility and the talent of seeing a bigger picture and purpose in our mundane struggles makes good sense to me.
An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.
An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.
~G. K. Chesterton
~G. K. Chesterton
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7 comments:
you are so amazing! Thanks for sharing this.
You know, I have chest pains sometimes due to stress. In fact, my hearbalist keeps shaking his head saying, "Honey, the only thing we can't get in line for you is the stress. But you have seven children - it's to be expected."
I don't think it's that I'm overworked or that I can't do what I do - rather, it's just the intense emotions I feel about EVERYTHING - I have no middle ground. My p. blessing instructs me to "learn to manage your emotions"... lol - and they say the priesthood and the church isn't true! :P
Yay, you blogged! And in an inspirational manner. Thanks for that!
*****Thanks everyone! Glad it was useful :) Comments make me what to blog more, you know?
Wonderful insight, thanks so much for sharing!
Why did I not know you had a blog? Did this not ever come up in the many conversations we had? I can't imagine that I didn't know this. Well now I know and I can put the link up on my blog if that's ok with you.
every once in awhile I type the letter "w" in my address line and check out your blog to see if perhaps you have updated it.
Just thought you should know.
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