Article on Stress

Hi Everyone,

I grumble about doing the P90X workouts all the time, but in reality I do love ’em.  This article came from one of the newsletters and the blog that Tony Horton, the workout guru and instructor in the videos, sent out.  It really got me thinking, so I just wanted to share.  Not sure I can actually put it to practice, but I have often wished that I had all of the time back that I have spent stressing and sweating the small stuff….

Take good care, K.

STRESS

Hi Everyone,

I grumble about doing the P90X workouts all the time, but in reality I do love ’em.  This article came from one of the newsletters and the blog that Tony Horton, the workout guru and instructor in the videos, sent out.  It really got me thinking, so I just wanted to share.  Not sure I can actually put it to practice, but I have often wished that I had all of the time back that I have spent stressing and sweating the small stuff….

Take good care, K.

STRESS

Do you realize that if you took the fear and anxiety out of every "stressful" situation in life, the end result of that situation would greatly improve? You can panic and freak out all you want, but time will still pass and life will happen, whether you stress out about it or not. So why not choose patience or curiosity? Patience is a virtue, and who wouldn’t want to be virtuous in a stressful situation? To be curious means asking the right questions to help find solutions. When does fear, worry, or anxiety ever help a situation? Stress occurs when we are incapable of moving through a situation logically, peacefully, positively, productively, and gracefully. It take a lot of energy to be stressed out. Allowing stress to overtake you means you’re having a tough time dealing with reality. Don’t let stress get your goat. Stand up, take a deep breath, and see if you can deal with reality under pressure. I like the parable about the 10 people standing in line at a bank. Three robbers come storming in—screaming, yelling, and waving guns around. They terrorize the place and steal everyone’s jewelry and money. What’s the moral of the story? Ten people experiencing the same event will have very different reactions to it. Some will never recover, while others will have a crazy story to tell at cocktail parties. How do you respond to the events in your life?

I like Byron Katie’s 3 Kinds of Business Theory:

1. God’s Business. The things that happen in this world that are out of my control.

2. Their Business. The choices other people make based on their life experiences so far.

3. My Business. The choices I make that shape my life.

Don’t waste your time on gossip, ridicule, envy, self-pity, anger, guilt, arrogance, impatience, regret, manipulation, jealousy, fear, worry, and anxiety. It’s too stressful, and it destroys the energy you need to stay healthy and fit. If you choose understanding, truth, clarity, patience, devotion, gratitude, acceptance, wisdom, and forgiveness, you will have peace of mind and all the energy in the world to do whatever you want.

from Tony Horton’s Blog