Living in the accelerating busy-ness of our current global society, it’s likely that you’re well aware of your stress levels and the possible consequences of not dealing with it. You’ve probably heard about all the techniques to get a handle on your stress: from diet, exercise, and meditation to prioritizing, scheduling, and time management. These are all great actions that make a real difference. In this article, we’ll look at a lesser-known secret: how the simple act of shifting your perception is a powerful step toward freeing you from stress mode into relaxed, inspired balance.

To get started, let’s look at a psychological definition of stress. This definition can give you a new relationship with your stress. Rather than experiencing stress as something that blindsides you, or is beyond your control, you’ll understand what it is, where it comes from, and what you can do about it. This is a powerful step to taking charge of stress in your life.

So here’s the definition:

“Stress is the perception of demands on your time, energy, and resources along with the perception that these demands may exceed the time, energy, and resources that you have.”

Stress results from an unbalanced equation: you perceive that the demands you face exceed the resources you have. That perception in itself drains your energy. Life begins to feel like a burden or an overwhelming chain of “shoulds,” demands, and responsibilities rather than an inspiring, joyful journey.

How can you shift that balance?

You can shift the balance by adjusting both sides of the equation. First, you can learn to look at those demands differently. Rather than seeing them as overwhelming giants, you can sift through them and cut them down to size. You experience stress when the challenges you face seem huge. So, the first thing you can do is to break them down into priorities and manageable pieces.

First, make a list of the various challenges or tasks you face. Rank them in order of importance and urgency. What is most important? What do you need to attend to right away? What is lower priority? What might you really not need to do at all? Sometimes we think we “should” do things that really won’t make a positive difference in our lives. Identify the top two or three things on your list.

Next, take those top priorities and break them down into smaller action steps in the order those steps need to be done. For example, doing your taxes may seem overwhelming, but you can handle making folders and beginning to collect the documents you need. Define a path of simple, small action steps for your top priorities. Most importantly, determine the next action step for each one. That next action is what you need to find time, energy, and resources for right now. Let go of the rest, for the moment.

On the other side of the equation, evaluate your time, energy, and resources. See what you have to work with. Look at your schedule and see how you are spending your time and energy. Is there anything that is taking up time and energy, but is not really addressing your top priorities? In other words, is there anywhere that you are wasting your time and energy? Are there any ways that you are spending your resources that could be shifted to take care of your top priorities? In other words, is there any place that you are wasting your money?

If you used that time and energy or those resources to accomplish your top priority action steps, you’d significantly shift your stress equation to the positive. For example, you could substitute 15 minutes of exercise and 15 minutes of reading to your child for 30 minutes of TV time or internet surfing. Substitute according to your own priorities.

The bottom line when it comes to stress, is to realize that no matter what happens in life you have a choice in how you relate to it. You can make choices to shift from overwhelm to taking care of your top priorities. When you take care of your top priorities, you become more relaxed, inspired, and energized.

Sometimes we’re not aware of just how stressed we are. For a simple stress test be sure to visit us here:

Kevin Schoeninger M.A. Philosophy, Certified Trainer and Meditation Instructor

Sometimes we don\’t know how stressed we are. For a simple stress test, visit us here:
http://www.mindbodytrainingcompany.com/stress/take-this-stress-test-now/
Kevin Schoeninger, M.A. Philosophy, Certified Trainer and Meditation Instructor

Author Bio: Sometimes we’re not aware of just how stressed we are. For a simple stress test be sure to visit us here:

Kevin Schoeninger M.A. Philosophy, Certified Trainer and Meditation Instructor

Category: Self Help
Keywords: stress management, time management, reduce stress, prioritizing