Personal Nature of Stress

Stress is a very personal experience.  Because of that fact, the solution has to be as personal.

I introduced my new blog How is Stress Sabotaging Your Success to the world. I'd like to continue by talking about stress in general and a very simplistic way of handling it.
As unique as we are.

We all experience stress.  It's the way of life in the 21st century.
Whether it's the line at Starbucks not moving fast enough, giving the
big presentation in front of an important client, or not quite having
enough funds to pay that one bill, we all experience stress.


Even though we talk about it in general terms, stress is very
personal. Not only in the causes it, but how we physically react to it. 
For example, a person growing up in a big family might not feel any
anxiety to large, noisy environments with lots of people.  Whereas the
only child, having grown up in a quiet environment, may have severe
reaction when entering a noisy room with lots of activity.


Likewise, the physical manifestation is also unique. Some people
experience that lump in the pit of their stomachs before giving a
presentation in front of a large group of people.  Others may experience
a tightness in their neck and shoulders before having a challenging
conversation with a coworker or subordinate. There isn't a "one size
fits all" when it comes to the causes and effects of stress.


How to Overcome Stress

So when it comes to finding solutions, those have to be equally
personal. The reason for this is that stress is really a variation on
fear.  Either a fear of a future, unrealized result or of some past
event. Either way, you are not focusing on the present moment. Once you
focus on the present, the fear of a future result or a past event become
irrelevant.


The next obvious question becomes, that's fine but how do I do that? 
How do I change my focus to be on the present moment?  That's what this
blog will be exploring over the coming months. I'll be sharing material
that speaks to a variety of stress related activities and suggest some
solutions along the way.


I'd love to hear what you think so please post your thoughts in the
comment section.  If you have any questions, feel free to forward those
to mark@markfechner.com.


Thank you for reading.


Mark