The Science Behind the Law of Attraction Magazine October Magazine, 2017 | Page 21
Th e Si m pl e Secr et For Gi v i n g t h e Boot t o STRESS
By Featur ed Colum nist Ellen Wood
Recently I read in the Huffington Post that stress may be
considered the new ?normal.? That seems to confirm what
audience members have been telling me about living with
constant stress. So it?s quite likely that you, too, are going
through very challenging, stressful times. Noticing your
thoughts is the first step to help you make it through these
tough times with a measure of grace. Having challenges won?t change, but your perspective
about those challenges can change. Your perspective
depends on what you focus on and your focus depends on
what?s in your mind ? what your thoughts are. Watching
your thoughts empowers you to be able to choose your
focus and adjust the lens through which you view and
respond to life.
Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychologist, survived and even
experienced bliss in the concentration camps of the
Holocaust. How could he do this? In the horrors of
Auschwitz? Frankl made it his mission, even in the toughest
of circumstances, to contemplate love and seek meaning. His
book, Man?s Search for Meaning, chronicles his experiences
and discoveries about human psychology as a prisoner of the
Nazis. When you?re in a predicament, take a couple deep breaths
and observe your thoughts. Are you focused on the
problem or the solution? If you?re focused on the problem
and how miserable you feel, that?s what you?ll continue to
see and feel. And if you?re focused on the solution, in due
time you?ll see a way to resolve your problem. Often
though, once you?re in that stressful situation, the old
fear-based reaction kicks in. That?s why a daily practice of
observing your thoughts in relatively benign moments is
so critical. Just like a basketball player practicing free
throws over and over again at home, we practice when the
stakes are low so we?ll be prepared when the stakes are
high.
Regardless of what we?re going through, each person?s
journey is uniquely challenging. There?s an old saying: Every
man?s burden is the heaviest. So as you meet your unique
challenges, I?m inviting you to be inspired by someone who
found bliss ? Bliss! ? in a concentration camp. Frankl was a
master of diligently observing his thoughts. Then he took it a
step further by choosing to focus on purpose and meaning.
Can you imagine the character he developed while training
himself to watch his thoughts and stay positive in that
environment? Whatever we?re going through we can choose
to just go through, or grow through.
Did you know that the best wines come from grapes that
have to work to thrive? Although grapes can be grown in
many places, the best wine comes from those grown in soils
that stress the vines and climates just barely warm enough
for them to ripen. It?s the same with us. Our excellence is
born from overcoming challenges. Or, as Viktor Frankl said:
?What is to give light must endure burning."
Ellen Wood of Taos, NM is an
inspirational speaker and
award-winning author of
?Think and Grow Young: My
Journey Through Alzheimer?s
to the Fountain of Youth.? Her
new book is ?Joy! Joy! Joy! 7
Mind Body Spirit Self-Help
Practices to Relieve Stress and
Anxiety, Reverse Memory Loss
and Live Happy?. Visit
www.bookofjoyjoyjoy.com. Contact her at
[email protected]
Page 21 - Oct ./ Nov. 2017