If you learn nothing else about managing the stress of your life, you must become skilled in recognizing these five common stress management myths and take steps not to be caught in their deadly trap.In today’s 24/7 pressure filled world, it is crucial to develop the stress hardiness needed to enjoy the stress of your life, be at peace and productive. The speed of life today is not going to slow down! If anything it may speed up, if that is possible. In order to survive and thrive you must not only strengthen your stress coping reserves, you must maximize them! You must also be aware of some very dangerous misinformation circulating about stress.MYTH N° 1–I’M NOT STRESSED BECAUSE I DO NOT FEEL STRESSED! The question is: how do you know? Stress is very deceptive and many people who feel very stressed are actually handling their stress quite well while others who do not feel stressed are on the edge of disaster. The truth is that some individuals can handle huge amounts of stress and thrive while others collapse under less than normal stress.MYTH N° 2–ALL STRESS IS BAD, AND I CAN ELIMINATE ALL STRESS FROM MY LIFE, RIGHT? Wrong, stress is not all bad. In reality, stress is the spice of life. Life would not be much without it. The only people experiencing no stress are in the cemetery. Eliminating stress is not the goal. The goal is to manage both positive and negative stress for the optimum enjoyment of life.MYTH N° 3–EXECUTIVES AND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ARE THE MOST STRESSED PEOPLE, RIGHT? Wrong! Executives and air traffic controllers deal with huge amounts of stress and most thrive on it because they have learned the basic stress coping skills needed for their high intensity work. Actually, the reverse of this myth is true. The average worker and those in middle management are often the most stressed in an organization because of the lack of control they feel in their every day lives combined with limited stress hardiness skills.MYTH N° 4–I ALWAYS KNOW WHEN I AM STRESSED! Unfortunately most people don’t and a serious miscalculation here could cost you your family, your job or even your life. Your feelings are not the best indicators of how well you are managing your stress. You need some objective assessment tools which will tell you how effectively you are handling your stress and more importantly how stress is actually affecting you. With a good assessment, some people find out that they are handling their stress very well–a pleasant surprise! Others, sometimes in the same family or work group, get an unpleasant surprise when they find out that while they do not feel stressed that in reality they are heading for a crisis and don’t even know it. If you had asked me if I felt stressed a few days before I experienced serious job burnout, a few years ago, I would have said no. An effective and objective assessment tool is worth it’s weight in gold.MYTH N° 5–IF I IGNORE MY STRESS AT HOME OR WORK IT WILL ALL GO AWAY. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Plus this is a very dangerous attitude. We never automatically resolve work or personal stress. You must be aware of your stress and know and use daily the stress resolving tools that work best for you.Here are three ways to make sure that these myths do not unnecessarly harm you:1. Discover all you can about stress, how it both positively and negatively affects the body and most importantly how it is affecting your body mentally, physically and emotionally.2. Become tuned in to your body’s reactions to stress. Know what are the key stress warning signals for you.3. Take the necessary proactive actions needed to thrive and grow with the stress of your life.Author: Cameron JohnstonArticle Source: EzineArticles.comCanada duty tariff
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