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Mental Toughness Beats Stress
Dealing with energy zapping stress is more than just knowing stress management techniques. It also comes down to your mental toughness. I am an very focussed determined person, but find that I am very influenced by the actions and attitudes of others, in their interactions with me. I have very little patience for those that ‘stuff’ around, that are inconsiderate of my property or my time, or are abrupt and rude. Is the problem the behaviour of others? – Sure they may
benefit from a bit of upgrading their personalities, but when it
comes to interactions with me, my lack of mental toughness is the
problem. I am the one who lets these people get under my skin. I
am the one who feels threatened if I walk away. Mental toughness is an essential stress relief skill become resilient
to the pressures and stresses in work and life. The physical state manifests as feeling easily tired, emotionally
sensitive, and more prone to strains, spasms and pain. The Key - Change What You Focus On. Focus on solutions rather than problems. Rather than focussing on those unacceptable behavioural traits – focus on what you want. The reason you are interacting with this person – not the way they are handling their end of the challenge. I find it easier in these situations to use a ‘Forcefield’ – in situations I find uncomfortable, I put up my forcefield to block out all those irritating factors and instead focus on whether we are advancing or retreating from solving the problem at hand. By visualising a physical forcefield, my mind interprets a mental forcefield. It almost become a game! In extreme cases I can sit in a meeting like Pacman saying 'bring it on' my shield it up and visualise all the irritations hitting the field and bouncing off. May sound a little crazy - but it works for me. The key for you, is to find some interrupt technique that puts a shield around your mental vulnerabiities and creates a 'tough zone' of your own. The very action of taking back some form of control is sufficient to prevent stress building to breaking point. Become mindful of what you focus on and watch your stress shift, when you take a positive action towards resolving it. Remember – this is your life, you choose who you interact with, how you react with them and what interactions you agree to. If you find anything in your life objectionable, you have the absolute right to walk away. Be Aware Of Your Own Stressors
Mental ToughnessThink you are mentally tough – maybe you are, or maybe you operate in such an emotional vaccum you don’t recognise that your behaviour may be causing stress in others. Correct BreathingThink you breathe correctly – if you ever suffer from headaches, fuzzy thinking, stress in the neck and shoulder region, chances are your breathing technique is not ideal. Self AwarenessTake note over the next week as to whether certain behaviours irritate you, and whether you are breathing regularly and deeply. You may be surprised by what you find. I have a moderately severe irregular heart rhythm. Until my lack of breathing was pointed out to me, I was not even aware I was doing this. Because my heart rate was so low, I don’t get as much oxygen pumped around the body per minute, so if my breathing is also shallow – I can suffer nausea, headaches and a build up of CO2 in my system. I actually smell car exhaust fumes when there are no cars present!!! Until I consciously started to focus on my breathing – I didn’t realise that when I was concentrating on working or watching television, I would actually stop breathing for extended periods. This in turn exaggerated the irregular heart beat. I also have a low mental toughness. People are usually extremely surprised by this as I am an energetic, upbeat, positive person who has attained high goals and success. Yet I am easily irritated by others behaviours and tend to focus on the small things in life that don’t really warrant the worry. I now use a force-field technique to prevent being influenced by these traits. In summary, just focussing on these two things: mental toughness and breathing, you will find not only do you become more aware when you are becoming stressed but you can alleviate the physical manifestations of stress. Related Reading
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