The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.
– William Jones
Sometimes our thoughts can be a source of stress. Our thoughts and beliefs about the situations and problems we encounter causes stress in our lives. The way we interpret the problems and situations or other people’s feelings and reactions toward us can increase our stress response.
We as humans try to make sense of the world and situations around us; so, we try to analyze the who, the what, the where, the when, the why and the how. It is our thoughts and emotions that shape who we are and the way we navigate life.
We are trying to gain understanding; and when we do not understand, we are left with a distorted point-of-view and negative thoughts and emotions about the person, the event or the situation. This causes stress, because now we are uncertain about ourselves, uncertain about the truth of the problem or situation and we are uncertain about the possible solution or solutions.
Control your thoughts
Many times, we react and respond without thinking about all sides of the pyramid. Was that person truly upset at you or were they just releasing their frustration on you because you are there? Is the situation controllable? We cannot control everything that happens in our life, nor can we control the people around us or their attitudes, but we can control how we think about the issue at hand or the person.
Change your thoughts
When we experience situations that are unpleasant, instead of thinking negative; how about we think positive about it. Changing our perception or thoughts from negative to positive gives us an opportunity to see the situation from another angle. Having a different viewpoint allows us to come up with solutions to the problems we are having.