HopeHorner.com: Sticks & Stoics: 12 Tips to Beat Stress

As long as there have been people, there has been stress.
I read an article today about first century Roman stoics Marcus Aurelius (More About Aurelius) and Seneca the Younger (More About Seneca). They took a "matter of fact" approach to managing stress--telling people to lean on logic, mindfulness, and emotion-free decision making to get through life. It's where we get the word "stoic." Their advice for dealing with tough people and tough times back around 100AD make a lot of sense all these years later. Not that I am stoic or anything. I can be semi-stoic when I am fully rested, not having a hot flash, and have had sufficient chocolate. That's precisely why I called this blog entry "Sticks and Stoics: 12 Tips to Beat Stress." About half of the helpful tips below come directly from the stoics and the other half--the "sticks" come from me. Why "sticks"? Because they are the reminders I need continually beat into my head. And I hope you find them helpful in beating stress. If not, get some rest and chocolate. It works for me.

Sticks & Stoics…12 Tips to Beat Stress

Overcome the paralysis of your negative imagination. More suffering happens in our minds than in reality. Most of what we worry about never happens.
Choose not to be harmed and you won’t be harmed. Don’t feel harmed and you haven’t been.
Stop staring at the problem and start focusing on the solution. Problems are opportunities.
Get over yourself. You have it really good. Really.
Focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t.
Don’t assume the other person is “up to no good.” (i.e. Don’t assume bad intentions.)
Don’t put your health in the hands of someone else by letting them control your emotions. Stress kills so kill stress.
Get perspective: Consider that you could be wrong and that you are small in the grand scheme of life. Humility is freeing.
Choose your battles. If something/someone bothers you, make sure a response is worth it. Does it violate your core values or just bug you? There is a difference between a mosquito bite and a shark bite. Respond accordingly.
Feeling down? Lift up someone else.
Remember why you are on this planet. (Put things in perspective by thinking beyond this temporal world. What is your purpose? Passion? Faith?)
Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life. (Making a hard choice can be stressful, but it saves you a lot of stress down the road.)