How You Can Benefit From Knowing Stress Is Just a Word (Part 2 of 2)

Copyright © 2012 M.C.Orman, M.D., FLP

In my previous article on this topic (Part 1), I began exploring exactly how you can benefit from reminding yourself that stress is just a word that human beings frequently use to stand for many different types of problems in our lives.

In that first article, I also noted that one of the key benefits of this new way of thinking is that it forces you to identify and define your problems more specifically. This, in turn, encourages you to ask yourself more problem-focused questions, which can lead you to more precise identification of specific underlying causes.

In this article, I’d like to take a closer look at a few examples of these types of problem-focused questions and show you how they can benefit you much more than simply asking yourself the non-specific question: “how can I cope with my stress?”

Problem-Focused Questions

Consider the difference between asking yourself “How can I deal with my stress?” and asking yourself the following types of problem-focused questions:

1. I seem to be feeling angry very easily. I wonder how I can learn to better understand and deal with my anger?

2. I seem to be having recurring financial problems. I wonder what’s not working with the way I’m thinking about or dealing with money?

3. I seem to be worrying quite a bit. I wonder what I can do to learn to deal with worry?

4. I seem to be having little success in my interpersonal relationships. I wonder what’s going on? And how can I improve my abilities in this area?

5. I’m feeling anxious all the time, my heart keeps racing, I feel sweaty, nervous and tense much of the time. How can I better understand and deal with each of these emotional and/or physical problems?

I think it should be pretty clear by now that the major benefit of asking these more focused questions is they are much more targeted on the real problems you might be struggling with.

They also put you in excellent position to begin identifying and dealing with the root causes of each specific problem you might be having.

Asking “How can I deal with my stress?” on the other hand, immediately negates all these important benefits and thereby puts you at a huge disadvantage. So take this lesson to heart and don’t let this happen to you!

So once again, remembering stress is just a word is not a trivial exercise at all. It’s the gateway to being able to identify and then deal with the underlying causes of your problems.

Doc Orman has taught people how to deal with stress without having to manage it for more than 30 years. His approach is innovative and more empowering than stress management. To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/beststressrelief