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How
To Reduce Stress in Your Personal & Professional Life Many
people can help themselves reduce their vulnerability to stress by altering
their mental perceptions of daily events.
Some of us act as if the goal of life is to finish, when life should be
viewed as a journey, not a destination. We
are modified and influenced by our environment and past behavior, yet we would
do well to remember that we have the power and tools to modify our present and
our behavior. Change is, indeed,
possible. Awareness leads to
choice, which leads to the practice of new behaviors, and in time, leads to
better habits and healthier lifestyle. By
making choices to adjust our attitudes and perceptions regarding our lives, we
prevent the helplessness that causes debilitating stress and depression. How
well we respond to the stress inducing situations in our lives is directly
related to our level of confidence in being able to deal with these stressors.
Making a conscious effort to alter our behavior gives us the power and
control over our daily decisions and feelings.
Therefore, we develop new coping tools and reinforce those tools each
time we choose to alter our perceptions in order to deal with those less than
perfect situations. People
respond differently to outside stimuli or "stress".
We feel powerful in dealing with some types and helpless in dealing
with others. If the helplessness
is too great, it triggers depression, and depression produces more stress.
Stress has been proven to lower the production of chemicals present in
our brain that act as natural mood elevators and fight depression.
If the condition is worsened by negative thinking, the depression may
linger to the point professional help is needed.
The earlier treatment is received for stress and depression, the
better, because depression tends to feed on itself, causing medical problems
such as sleep and eating disorders, and others that can be very devastating if
untreated.
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