Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Light a candle instead of cursing the darkness

Instead of complaining about what’s wrong we should take positive, solution-oriented steps (however small) toward improving a situation. It means being more a part of the solution rather than a reminder or reinforcement of the problem.

While we’re working, it’s easy to fall into the trap of spending our time and energy taking note and complaining about the way things are, the economy, negative people, greed, lack of compassion, bureaucracy, and so forth. After all, if we are looking for verification that the world is full of problems, we don’t have to look far to prove our assumptions.


If you take a careful look, you’ll notice that in most cases, thinking excessively about the problems at work, only serves to increase your own level of stress, thus making it even more difficult to do anything about the very things that are bothering you.

As we focus on the problem and discuss it with others, it can reinforce our belief that life is difficult and stressful, which, of course, it can be.


When we focus too much on what’s wrong, it reminds us of other things we disapprove of or wish were different, which can lead us toward feelings of discouragement and being overwhelmed.


It’s interesting, however, to notice that in many instances you cannot only make a dent in a problem, but actually reduce your own stress level in the process by simply choosing to “light a candle.” Simply put, this means making a suggestion or taking a positive step toward improving a source of stress. It means putting increased emphasis on a potential solution and less emphasis on “cursing” the problem.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Become less reactive and more responsive

In life, we have essentially two psychological modes that we are in most of the time: reactive and responsive. The reactive mode is the one that feels stressful. In it, we feel pressured and are quick to judge. We lose perspective and take things personally. We’re annoyed, bothered, and frustrated.

Needless to say, our judgment and decision making capacity is severely impaired when we are in a reactive state of mind. We make quick decisions that we often regret. We annoy other people and tend to bring out the worst in them. When an opportunity knocks, we are usually too overwhelmed or frustrated to see it. If we do see it, we’re usually overly critical and negative.

The responsive mode, on the other hand, is our most relaxed state of mind. Being responsive suggests that we have our bearings. We see the bigger picture and take things less personally. Rather than being rigid and stubborn, we are flexible and calm. In the responsive mode, we are at our best. We bring out the best in others and solve problems gracefully. When an opportunity comes our way, our mind is open. We are receptive to new ideas.

Once you are aware of these two drastically different modes of being. You will begin to notice which one you are in. You’ll also notice the predictability of your behavior and feelings when you are in each mode. You’ll observe yourself being irrational and negative in your reactive mode and calm and wise in your responsive state of mind.

CheckYour Stress Level

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