Stress and Thought

The most powerful ability you have in your life is your capacity to think. You can transform stressed-out into peaceful by thinking about your own role in creating stress in your life. Consider Wayne Dyer's claim that stress has no independent existence outside of you by thinking about something that you consider stressful in your life.

How about the holidays? In the United States, "the holidays" have become an annual stressed-out season for multitudes of women. Many women feel stressed-out because of all that they have to do. Buying gifts. Wrapping gifts. Preparing elaborate holiday meals. Hosting parties. Attending parties. Traveling to visit families or having families come to visit. The to-do list is long. Sometime in November, these stressed-out women start asking each other the inevitable question: "Are you ready for the holidays?" The answer is usually no, followed by, "I can't wait for January second so it will all be over."

Stop and think carefully about this. If you're feeling stressed-out by the prospect of the holiday season, who or what is causing you to feel that way? If you think about it, you'll recognize that becoming stressed-out by the holidays has become a socially accepted condition that afflicts many women. (Men seem to be immune from the condition.) When you think about it, you'll very likely realize that much of this annual holiday stress is self-inflicted. Is anyone forcing you do any of this? Or, are you inflicting this stress upon yourself?

What Would You Change?

How would the thought that you're creating your own stress change how you think about the holiday season? If you're willing to challenge the idea that stress is as essential as Thanksgiving turkey, you can choose to be peaceful. 

 You don't have to think that holiday stress is inevitable. You can even consider the radical thought that you can enjoy yourself in the holiday season without stressing out.

If you're willing to consider the possibility that your thoughts are creating your stressed-out feelings, what could you do to turn stress thoughts into peaceful thoughts? For example, what if your family tradition "requires" you to bake ten types of Christmas cookies? What thoughts could change "I have to bake ten types of Christmas cookies and I don't know when I am going to have the time" into a statement that isn't so oppressively stress-inducing?

You can think about it. Is there any part of baking Christmas cookies that you enjoy? Why do you have to bake ten kinds of cookies? Would two kinds of cookies be enough? Do you have to bake any cookies? If your thoughts cause you to feel stressed-out, what thoughts would turn stressed-out into peaceful? What thoughts would turn have to into love to? What thoughts could turn an annual stressed-out season into a season you enjoy?

[Original Post October 8, 2015]