Harnessing Stress

After I went through my divorce in 2003, I lost 25 lbs. in 30 days. It was one of the few good things I remember during that year. My waistline was as small as it had been in a decade. There was a lot of stress, fear and foolishness that followed that period of my life, but looking back (and now forward) I can see some positive things I gained from those trying times. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Use negative energy as a motivation. I have had my share of struggles in relationships, business dealings and finances. When things get rough, some people give up, others get motivated. I am tired of being overweight, underpaid, and out of work. If you are tired of feeling that way, then get off your butt and get busy, its never too late to make improvements.
2. Exercise! One of he single best things you can do to counter stress, depression and other emotional challenges is to exercise. Physical exertion floods your body with positive endorphins. The physical exertion reduces stress and the chemical affect on  your body stimulates a positive emotional response (i.e. you effectively treat mind and body).
3. Quit the blame game. You can't change other people. It doesn't matter if it is a boss, a co-worker, or your spouse, you are expending valuable energy that could be used for self-improvement. Start asking what do I need to do for me.

All that pent up energy and emotion we call stress can find a positive release. I didn't realize it when I was younger, but when I was angry I would go shoot some hoops. After about an hour I felt so much better. I often couldn't remember why I was so angry.

You may think this is all a bunch of psycho-babel (and maybe it is), but do me a favor. Try making this one change for a week. Take the negative energy you feel this week and direct it towards something positive (try to include excercise in that process). Come back in a week and tell me how it went.