Infoallglobe Writers Forum, Published on
14/4/2000
By: Dr. Donald E. Wetmore
Stress is a killer.
There are some who would say, "there's good stress and then there's bad
stress". That's sort of like saying, "there are good heart attacks and
then there are bad heart attacks".
Maybe there is some positive benefit to the stresses that will enhance our
performance, but, for the most part, stress is a negative, keeping us from
performing at peak levels, damaging our daily productivity, and decreasing the
chances of our longevity.
Many blame stress on external forces. "We are living in stressful
times." "This is a stressful job." "My boss (husband, wife,
co-worker, customer, client, kid, etc.) is really stressing me out."
The world is not really a stressful place and these are not really stressful
times. There really are no stressful jobs. If any of these were true, then
everyone in that community, job, relationship, etc. would be stressed. Some are.
Maybe most are. But some are not.
There are many "stress reduction" programs, seminars, and courses out
there. Most are effective. But, rather than treat the symptoms, what if we
treated the disease and rid ourselves of the causes of the stress?
Most stress is internal, caused by the ways in which we relate to the world and
events and people around ourselves. Stress is caused when there is a disconnect
between our expectation and our reality. When reality falls short of an
expectation, it creates a disappointment and that causes stress.
For example, let us say you drove your car to work today, your car was parked in
the nearby parking lot, and you will leave work today at 5:00 p.m. You probably
have an expectation that your car will be right where you left it when you got
to the parking lot this afternoon. Well, what if you were to discover at 5:00
p.m. that your car has been stolen? I would imagine most of us would feel some
stress from finding out about our stolen car!
But, what if you return to the parking lot this afternoon and there is your car
exactly where you left it this morning? You insert the key and drive away. Do
you experience stress over finding your car where you left it? No, because
expectation and reality match up.
While most of us will experience those larger disappointments in life, they are
typically few and far between so that our bodies have a chance to cope and
recover. Rather, it is all the little disappointments, which seem
inconsequential individually, but when added together throughout a day, will
really build up the stress. (Dealing with the morning rush hour, not getting
things done on time, tasks piling up, personal errands not attended to, etc.)
The solution? Bring your realities up to your expectations. How? Through
effective Daily Planning. Make sure that you plan to do the little things you
want and expect should be done in addition to all the things you "have
to" do during the day. Build a Daily Action list that incorporates both the
"have to's" and the "want to's". Prioritize this list and
tackle them in the order of their importance to you.
Our goal will never eliminate stress completely but, with more effective
planning, we can reduce and stabilize stress.
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Don Wetmore is a full-time Professional Speaker who specializes exclusively in
the topics of Time Management and Personal Productivity. He conducts his
nationally acclaimed Time Management Seminars throughout the world for people
who want more out of life in less time, in both their work and personal lives
and with less stress. His seminars are entertaining, fast paced and filled with
practical, common sense ideas and tools. One of the country's leading experts on
this topic, he is the author of "Beat the Clock!".
You may contact him:
Don Wetmore-Professional Speaker
Productivity Institute
Time Management Seminars
60 Huntington St. P.O. Box 2126
Shelton, CT 06484
(800) 969-3773
(203) 929-9902
fax: (203) 929-8151
email: ctsem@msn.com
webpage: http://www.balancetime.com