STRESS - The Positive Side   
By by Deborah Allen

STRESS, STRESS, STRESS, it seems to be everywhere, at work, at home & even within ourselves creating conflict.

What is stress anyway? Stress is the reaction your mind & body has in response to physical or mental demands. There are many types of stress, here we will touch on Negative & Positive. Positive stress can be a motivator for those who have learned how to identify & utilize it beneficially. Positive stress can be a stimuli that promotes energy & peak performance in the face of negative arousal known as negative stress. Negative stress can threaten productivity, interpersonal relationships & self esteem etc.

A classic example of how beneficial positive stress can be occurs when an individual is preparing in advance for a test, deadline or speech. With properly planned steps, an individual can prepare themselves to perform well under pressure, realize higher potential even positively push their limits & grow, they prepare for the event instead of worrying.

What You Can Do To Capitalize On Positive Stress

1. Learn how to anticipate, monitor & regulate stressors – TRY to be aware of your environment.



2. Be aware of your interpretations of what you believe are stressors – See things REALISTICALLY



3. Practice daily routines that incorporate positive self talk & mental or physical relaxation exercises.



4. When confronted with arousal/stimuli have a calm/positive response prepared. – See #1 above.



5. Recognize early signs of mental & physical distress that will allow negative stress to take hold i.e. tiredness, hunger, illness etc.



6. Have positive reactions to negative arousal/stimuli rather than destructive reactions that heighten distress. Go for a walk, take a moment away from the computer, get a glass of water, have a positive self chat & praise yourself for doing a good job.



7. Maintain positive health buffers like good eating & sleeping habits, as well as being able to communicate well with friends, family & coworkers.

A Stress reaction is also a learned pattern, something we do without thinking when given a particular stressor. Stress patterns are how you physically & emotionally respond to any type of perceived stress, negative or positive.

Learn how to listen to the signals your body gives you to identify your stress patterns & take steps necessary to modify them if needed. See “I THINK I CAN”

Here is a 5 minute exercise to do while in the midst of a stressful situation with another individual. Try this until you have patterned a response your body will not suffer from. Teach yourself the new trick of how to react!

At the sign of what may be a heightened emotional response during a confrontation, remain in control! Instead of jumping into the conversation to continually defend your point, quietly drop out of the conversation or argument! Do this calmly & not impassioned, you will have won! When you divorce yourself from the energy vortex at hand you defuse negativity. Give the impression you are listening intently. Fix your gaze slightly away from or above the head of the other individual, either to the left or right of them (not so as they would see you are not looking directly at them) & gently begin to breathe deeply. They’ll think they’re being listened to, however your will be consciously attending to calming yourself. You should notice your stress level dropping & possibly that of the other individual too.

Whatever the circumstance or outcome of confrontations or stressful situations, observe the issues of yourself and others & do the best to make the outcome positive for yourself & comfortable for others.

We can be the source of our own stress. We can create it by not accepting ourselves, some of us choose to focus on our perceived shortcomings instead of our positive attributes. Choose the right one and maintain a positive balance.

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