Previously – Part Two: Know the Cause
Once you know the cause of your stress and what feelings signal it you can begin to work on your options.
There are essentially two ways to reduce stress.
- Remove yourself away from the cause of the stress,
- Remove the cause of the stress from you, either physically, or mentally.
In other words, change yourself, or change your world.
In reality, the reason why many people suffer negative effects from prolonged exposure to stressful events, is because they can’t change, won’t change, don’t believe that change is possible for them, or know they can change but haven’t yet worked out how to.
There are multiple reasons why this might be the case.
Some people are truly stuck, simply because they don’t have the resources or the means to extricate themselves from the situations they are in. The truth is though, that some of these people who don’t believe they have a choice, do. It is just that often, the sacrifice that they feel they need to make in order to change is so great that the prospect of acting keeps them stuck.
The truth is that there is usually something more that can be done, but that they have to be prepared to give up something of value that they are voraciously clinging to; to take a risk – a leap of faith.
Sometimes a change towards the better requires that we sacrifice something that we believe we need to hold to but in reality isn’t actually healthy for us. This could be a situation, an environment – it can even be an idea about ourselves. This might be an attachment to a concept of who or what we believe need to be in order to survive, or to succeed.
Such expectations and the conflicts that arise as a result of needing to meet them, can cause great amounts of stress in life.
Getting clear on the truth of our beliefs is one part of the puzzle. How is something making us feel? Do we really need what we think we need? Do we really need to be where we think we need to be? Do we really need to achieve what we think we need to achieve?
As stated before, stress is a natural condition of life. The butterfly, if it is to emerge from its cocoon with the strength to fly, must struggle to break free of the cocoon that has served to protect it. This act is what gives it the strength in its body to be able to use its wings to fly.
The way through, the way to adapt for the best in life, is to be able to let go of any situations or beliefs that are creating unnecessary stress in life. When you avoid or suppress the signals that are urging you to change, because you are afraid of the unknown consequence of abandoning known situations or beliefs about yourself, then you can end up remaining in situations where your growth, your potential, and you life is inhibited from the full scope of it’s expression.
The security or safety we believe we have – either in our environment, or in the version of ourselves that we cling to can be illusory. That said, the grief that can be experienced as a result of relinquishing these situations or states of identity can be very real. In some ways, in some very real ways, it can feel like a death. That we must die in order to be reborn. This may sound dramatic but there is a great truth in it: to let go of the old version of yourself is an act of faith that requires that we relinquish a sense of control that we have over the known and to trust in the unknown of the new.
This is the courage to live. To face your fear of the unknown.
It is this courage that frees you into life and a fuller range of your potential. It can be frightening and it can be exhilarating.
At the root of it all is you. As you learn the signals, as you come to see the causes, as you untangle your beliefs of what you need from what you actually need in life, you find yourself. The you that lives in the unfolding moment of your becoming. The you that has your back. the you that learns to make better choices, and the you that feels safe to make mistakes. The you that lives towards more fullness and feels more comfortable and confident in their own skin.
How are YOU by the way?
Would you appreciate help or guidance with life in any way, or are you curious to know more?
If this is you then you can find more information and details about the services I provide at clivecreative.com
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All the best,
Clive Austin