Stress is amazingly persistent, even seductive.  We get used
to feeling tight and tense.  Though positive thinking has its
place, unless it is backed up by practical wisdom it tends
to get overwhelmed and fade away.
 

Here are seven proven ways you can get a new handle on stress.
 
1. Control your REACTION with these 7 simple words.
 
   The first step is to remain alert when people try to weigh you
   down with their nervous comments and attitudes.
 
   The next step is to reply to the attempted attack: “I have
   nothing to say to that.” This cuts off the contagious effect
   of the stressful assault. It blocks the tendency to accept and
   imitate depressing words from others. Your nature does not
   fall down to the level of the anxious remark, but remains high
   above it.
 
   Negative people WANT to get you involved with their defeat,
   and this is a major method they use to do it. Your reply: "I
   have nothing to say to that" prevents them from drawing you in
   as their victim.
 
   Inner life author Vernon Howard writes, “An attitude of defeat
   in another person cannot touch you unless you carelessly 
   accept it as yours. And there is no need at all for you to 
   accept it. A quiet refusal to enter the battlefield is the 
   perfect reply."  
 

2. Let go of painful grudges by living in the present moment.
 
   Hating someone is like drinking poison yourself and hoping the
   offender will die from it. We must grant to others the same
   opportunity for change or we shut the door on our own
   development. Therefore, it is our responsibility to release
   those who have caused harm to the providence of a higher
   power, while simultaneously realizing they will be held
   accountable for their actions.
 
   The secret to success without stress is to realize your 
   newness in the present moment many times each day. NOW is 
   so alive and energetic, so tangible and real, that painful 
   grudges cannot “live” here. Grudges can only stay around 
   when fueled by unaware and unproductive mental visits to 
   the past.
 

3. Observe negative thoughts with the aim of understanding them,
   instead of trying to suppress them.
 
   Self-Observation is a master key to stress-free living.
   Instead of claiming stressful thoughts and feelings as our
   own, we can observe and understand them.  This understanding
   sets us free!
 
   Self-observation is practical spirituality at its best. Marcus
   Aurelius, the ancient Roman Emperor said, “Those who do not
   observe the movement of their own minds must of necessity be
   unhappy.” (Marcus Aurelius)
 

4. Pause often and enjoy a deep breath.
 
   People are often so tense with stressful thinking they barely
   breathe!
 
   We can do something highly beneficial and intelligent. We 
   can take brief breaks many times a day, even if for only 30 
   seconds! We can pause, take a deep breathe, look around and 
   relax.
 
   Suppose you feel tempted to give in to someone when you know
   you should not. Instantly fall into internal relaxation.
   Breathe away your tensions. Your habitually anxious and
   resentful attitudes will fall away like leaves from a tree.
   They will be replaced by a clear mind that reveals what is
   best for you.


5. Realize you have far better things to think about!
 
   The old way of thinking has its favorite grooves; for example,
   negative mental film clips that pull you away from the present
   moment. When you detect yourself involved in one of these
   internal movies, pause and say to yourself, "There are better
   things to think about." This instantly snaps the spell and
   moves you to higher ground.
 
   You’ll feel much less stress and an abundance of new vitality
   as you reclaim the energy once consumed by these negative
   mental film clips. Suddenly wake up and come home to yourself
   by enthusiastically declaring, “There are better things to
   think about!” 
 

6. Stay clear of negative zones of influence.
 
   Our society is rampant with negative influences. They come
   from so many places, like frantic people, advertising and
   untruthful politics. Never forget: Unaware people want you to
   vibrate on their stressful level.
 
   It is your duty, your noble mission in life, to live in
   harmony with your Heart -- YOUR AUTHENTIC AND INTELLIGENT
   SELF.  Though physically you may be in a stressful place, once
   you connect with your Heart you have the spiritual power to
   stay free inwardly.  No law says you must fall under stressful
   zones of influence.
 

7. Refuse to make stressful or angry comments.
 
   Stress spills out into the world. It is like a snowball
   rolling down a hill that starts small then gathers size and
   momentum. Therefore, we must stop stress in its infancy, and
   the best place to do so is BEFORE it leaves the mouth.
 
   Here’s a wonderful way to dissolve stress in your life:
 
   This insight exercise is called SELF-SURPRISE.Here’s how it
   works. You are about to say something angry or hurtful to
   another person. The statement has left the dock – it is
   traveling at the speed of light toward the mouth. Your
   AWARENESS steps in and a higher choice is made; a switch is
   thrown and you do not say what you were about to say. You say
   something helpful and cheerful instead!
 
   You’ll instantly feel the trueness of practicing this
   exercise. Anger or stress did not succeed in dictating your
   speech. Your power of choice lifted you above its arrows.
   This is not the practice of phony niceness.  It is the
   expression of true strength and authentic self-command
   It can only occur when your awareness is active,
   like the presence of a lighted lodge in the dark forest.
 

Conclusion:
 
The one supreme power that guarantees personal happiness
is personal right thinking. This “right thinking” is based on
practical wisdom. Try these seven methods and you’ll see a 
huge difference in your life. You’ll have LOTS of energy! 

copyright © 2004 by T.H. Russell

Bio: Tom Russell is the author of several eBooks, including 
"The Power of Vertical Thinking" and "7 Secrets to Light Up 
Your Essence." He is the host of http://www.SuperWisdom.com 
and the editor of the SuperWisdom E-zine, read biweekly by more 
than 20,000 people in 42 countries.  He assists professional 
salespeople and entrepreneurs to live with greater energy, 
focus and spiritual insight.  He has been interviewed on 
more than 200 radio and TV talk shows.