Stress Management: Change the Labels
From a very young age we are taught to label our experiences as either good or bad. If a situation made us feel stressed we labelled it as bad. If it made us feel happy and cheerful we labelled it as good. This article focuses on one important stress management tool that of being mindful of the label we place on people and situations.
Labelling our experiences as either good or bad sets up a mindset of polarity thinking. This means that we think in opposites: black and white; right and wrong; happy or sad; positive and negative. The problem with this kind of thinking is that it only gives us two choices in which to think about a situation. It's either one or the other. There is no grey and because we so often default to thinking negatively the chances are we will, more often than not, choose the bad label. In doing so, we sabotage our stress management ability.
We never really know when something is a good thing or a bad thing. Can you know for certain which of your experiences will be good or bad upfront? How often have you labelled an experience as bad and it turned out to be favourable in the end?
We rarely know how things will turn out and by preemptively labelling something we take the risk of either becoming stressed for no reason or being disappointed down the track. Our stress management takes another knock.
When you label something as bad, your focus and attention is directed to all the negative aspects of the situation and your outlook becomes bleak. The same goes for your emotions and the creation of stress. The irony of labelling something as bad is that you may cause the outcome of the situation to be negative by focusing your attention on creating that scenario. If you take a more unbiased view of your situation by refusing to label it you become objective and reduce the possibility of derailing your stress management opportunity.
To help ensure that your stress management is on the right track you need to change the labels you give your experiences. Stay away from labelling things as good or bad and try using different terminology, such as interesting, unique challenging, exciting, different, transforming, etc.
Putting your stress management technique it into practise
Take a moment to think about a situation you're in right now that is causing you to feel stressed.
Step 1: Check to see if you have placed any labels on it. Are you calling the situation bad, stressful, hopeless, irritating, depressing, frustrating, etc?
Step 2: Once you have identified the label recognise that it is responsible for the way you are feeling.
Step 3: Change the label. Think of terminology you can use to describe the situation in a more positive way. Choose the label that best describes the way you would like to feel about the situation.
Step 4: Talk about the situation using the new label.
Step 5: Check your levels of stress.
What a wonderful way of looking at the world and what a powerful technique that will enhance your stress management success.
Questions and Answers
Article Tags:
stress management
,executive coaching
,leadership training
,corporate coaching
,sales negotiation training
,leadership management training
This article focuses on how small business can build resilience in their business by committing to some key actions that will help with their stress management. Building a resilient business is a key factor in not only surviving but thriving in any environment.
Psychological tests have been used to determine what characteristics are most commonly noted among successful leaders.
Executive coaching can help to determine whether you are more of a leader or more of a manager and assist in gaining the insight and self-confidence that comes with knowing more about yourself.
As executive coaching professionals we often are required to manage the expectations of our clients on many aspects in the coaching process. What can happen however is that we don’t manage our own expectations and sometimes don’t practice the very thing we preach.
This discussion focuses on the concept of flow and its role in the executive coaching process. This article identifies what flow is and provides practical techniques for integration into the executive coaching process.
Exercise, like any form of stress management technique, can become a habit. Just as a change in behaviour can indicate the presence of stress, so a positive change in behaviour can help to reduce stress.
Your high school reunion is one of the most poignant moments of your life, besides your high school graduation.
The days when high school reunions are interesting and mysterious are now all but gone completely.
As wonderful and as exciting an experience as growing up and being a kid can simultaneously be, it is often a challenging time in one's life for a number of reasons.
Anytime you have to attend a highschool reunion it can be a bit stressful.
Taking care of a child can be difficult but it can be even more difficult if you are a single parent. You are burdened by the responsibility of earning money and then taking care of the child.
Recovering from a snowball of debt can seem nearly impossible, especially for those with only one income. Although there are many options - debt consolidation, financial advising, an experienced debt assistant, etc. - it may be wise to consider all options, as each of them will offer advantages depending on your personal circumstances. It is very true that when talking about debts and how to get off them one size does not fit all.
You might have considered looking into getting an investment loan to buy into the stock market to make some extra money, but have you thought about using the loan to invest in yourself? Investment loans are all the rage today as people take out these low interest loans often secured by their primary home to provide them with extra money to take care of other needed things. Some people will pay off high interest credit cards or consolidate all the credit card debt into one account that has a much
No matter whether or not you are buying your first home, refinancing an existing home mortgage, or looking to add a second mortgage, mortgage rates can make a big difference in how much you have to pay back. Finding great mortgage rates is not impossible if you know where and how to find it.
Most people think that they do not have to worry about getting a home mortgage because you are using your intended home as a collateral for the mortgage. Although banks and other lenders will work with you even if you have bad or little credit, you should be aware that your ability to get a mortgage can still be affected. Poor credit, little credit, and even sporadic credit can each play a role in your ability to get the home you deserve.
Promotional products are items which are given away free of charge by businesses. These will have the business’s logo or brand name on them and are designed to be used on a regular basis. Traditionally these promotional products were stationary items, designed to be kept on the desks of the recipients. Today whilst these products are still very much in use, they are taking a bit of a back seat as promotional products have gone through something of a re-vamp.
Discuss this Article
