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| Stress is part of life, and always has been. If you are open to experimenting with the fuel factor there are two ways to deal with it. You can employ one or the other, or a combination of the two. |
• The first way of experimentation is to perceive the stress as a rush of energy. Get energized then, and find appropriate ways to exert the energy - burn and consume it as it occurs, or as soon as possible.
• The second way of experimenting is to realize that the rush of stress is a bug in the system. It is a false alarm; the senses are sending a wrong message to the CNS and creating a chain reaction that results in the release of stress fuel. By quiet contemplation and practice one can counteract the attack by sending a true message to the system - 'This is a false alarm, things are not that bad, it is not a life-or-death circumstance and everything is under control'.
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As you may discover for yourself, the second way is very beneficial, although it is very tough to implement. The first way is easy to execute and achieves immediate results, even if it also costs buckets of sweat.
Let's explore the first way, the 'consume it or be consumed by it' route, first.
You are most probably familiar with the feeling of working well under stress - meeting deadlines or doing a seemingly impossible task. Studying day and night for a term exam, or having a very late night while preparing a report for an important meeting. It's the same at times of great excitement, for example when you stay up all night and pack before travelling overseas. At such times you can easily go with very little or no sleep for a couple of days, yet feel fully energized, centered and balanced. This is simply because you are consuming your jet fuel appropriately.
It actually makes sense to expect ourselves to perform better under stress. After all, that's the nature of stress; it empowers you with extra energy, with focus and alacrity.
It is when you 'stress about it' instead of 'acting upon it' that problems arise. | |
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