Celebrate Stress!

Most people view stress as unhealthy because of the negative emotions associated with stress like anger, sadness, frustration and fear. The good news is, positive emotions can also occur during times of stress. Here are a few ideas to help you recognize the “up-side” of stress:

• Be resilient. Resiliency is one’s ability to tap into available resources and strengths to effectively manage stress. Times of stress can provide opportunities for personal growth and self-improvement to occur.
  
  
  My neighbor’s husband lost his job because his company downsized. This was an extremely stressful time for the entire family. Due to their circumstances the older children got part-time jobs working at local businesses. After several months of interviewing, her husband found a new job. She told me that the job loss was initially devastating, but the outcome was extremely positive. It caused her family to pull together, work together and grow together. Her children learned the importance of utilizing personal resources in an effort to manage stress.
   
• Re-evaluate priorities. Stressful situations can encourage people to gain new insights and re-evaluate their priorities.
   
  A good friend of mine shifted her priorities when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. The circumstances caused her to take on additional tasks like getting her mom to chemo treatments, to doctor appointments and attending to her daily needs. This situation prompted my friend to re-evaluate her priorities. Through the process of caring for her mom, she gained new insights about herself, and her ability to focus on the essentials in life, and to let go of the nonessentials.
                                                                
• Learn new skills. Adapting to stress may lead to personal changes, that can be changes for the best. Change is difficult, and too often we resist opportunities to change but, through change, new strengths and skills may be acquired.
  
  
  Over the years, our family has moved several times. With each job promotion we found ourselves packing up and relocating to a different state. Finding a new home, getting the boys settled in new schools and establishing my career in a new city was challenging. These changes caused stress but, I learned new skills because of these challenges. I learned to network, advocate for myself and our children, and to be adaptable. 
   
• Increase your confidence.  To effectively manage stress you need to confront and conquer the stressful situation. Coping with stressful circumstances in a healthy way will help you respond to the demands of each situation. When you successful manage stress in your life you feel more confident and capable, and your self-concept improves.
   
  Years ago, my son came home from grade school upset because he got a poor grade on his math exam. My first instinct was to react, and yell at him for his poor performance on the test. A better approach was to calmly talk to him about what he could do moving forward to improve his grade and study skills. Healthy coping strategies were required to help me, and my son manage the stress of the situation. I knew my son would feel more confident taking his next
  test if he made positive changes in his approach to learning the material.
   
  Stress is part of life, and people deal with it every day. Take the time to celebrate stress. Recognize that courage, perseverance, and resilience are strengths that can promote positive effects of stress.
   
  The Empowerment Project   www.vikkicarrel.com