Make Stress Work for You

Lots of people have learned to tame stress by refusing to accept defeat in the face of negative forces. Instead, they meet stress head on, with a positive outcome. In other words, if you can use a negative event (like losing a job) to motivate you to take positive action (like getting a better job), you can beat stress at its own game.

Here are some suggestions:

• Try not to think of setbacks as defeats.
• View stress as an energizer. Consider each new demand as a challenge, no matter how forbidding it may seem.
• Always ask yourself, “What’s the best that can happen?” rather than “What’s the worst possible outcome?”
• Take  charge. Although you can’t control other people’s actions, you can control your response to what comes your way. When it comes to managing your emotions, you’re the boss.
• Don’t try to please everyone – you can’t.
• Get the big picture. Think in terms of long-range goals, not just day-to-day problems.

Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com