How to Let Go of Stress

Most Problems are Caused by Stress

Again and again you hear it: Problems are caused by stress. Doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and alternate healing specialists all say the same thing: stress causes problems. Illness, obesity, sleeplessness, job burnout, marital breakups, family squabbles, fights with friends, loss of employment, depression, all have been linked to stress. What’s more, not only does stress cause these problems, but they in turn cause stress. Stress begets stress. Stress is such a powerful and destructive force that you need to learn effective stress management techniques to live a successful, happy, and healhty life.

Stress is a force—a force created by the mind that can distort, stretch, twist, compress, or deform the body. Not only are the parts of the body that we see subject to stress; so too are the unseen, the below-the-surface areas such as the organs and cells.

Stress does not affect the body alone. The mind as well is stretched, twisted, changed. When you are afflicted by stress, attitudes and viewpoints change. Things that were clear are seen as through a shimmering wave of opaque glass, clouding perceptions, diminishing self-esteem, and changing your manner of dealing with others.

What, then, is an effective stress management technique to deal with stress?

Let us propose a few ideas. First, you may prevent or lessen stress by letting go. To let go of one thought, you think of something else. The best way to do this is to go to Alpha level (a deep relaxing meditative state of mind), where you are most concentrative, and give your full attention to any thought other than the one you wish to release. While letting go might sound very difficult, practice makes perfect and the more you practice to meditate, to free and relax your mind, the easier it gets.

The True Cause of Stress

When something occurs that has an effect on you to the point of causing a degree of stress and you continue to think about it, to carry it around with you, you give it energy. The more you think about the incident, the greater the energization, until it does indeed cause trauma. It is vital to let go — to put the thing down. A second and more basic way to deal with stress is to realize that the true causes of stress are not events, people, frustration, disappointment, fear, unfulfilled desires, or negative expectations. Purely and simply, the cause of stress is your attitude toward these things. Once again: stress is not caused by problems. Events do not cause stress but rather your attitude towards the event. So, the secret is to change your attitude and to develop a relaxed state of mind. You cannot be stressful and relaxed at the same time.