Stress is not an event; it is a learned reaction to an event. This is my mantra and while not a silver bullet, repeating it over and over does calm me.
I often say to myself ‘there is someone on the other side of the world who, even if they were aware, would respond much more calmly and effectively; I’m going to go be that person of a few minutes!’ And sometimes I take a walk in the woods or Nature Bathing or Forest Mind Cleansing as the Scandinavians like to call it.
Closing Quotes:
“Calmness is the cradle of power.” – Josiah Gilbert Holland, 1819 –1881
“It’s not stress that hurts us, it’s our reaction to it.” – Hans Selye, 1907-1982, pioneer in study of stress response
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James, 1842-1910
“Stress acts as an accelerator: it will push you either forward or backward, but you choose which direction.” – Chelsea Erieau
“The truth is that stress doesn’t come from your boss, your kids, your spouse, traffic jams, health challenges, or other circumstances. It comes from your thoughts about your circumstances.” – Andrew Bernstein
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier
Note: Every effort has been made to properly source any 3rd person material. I am, however, a voracious reader. If anyone finds any unattributed material, pls let me know asap and I will be delighted to give credit where credit is due.
“All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832