BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Stress Management What is your stress level today?

Nancy -

So much of how we see the universe is colored by the words we assign to them. I know it's easy to fall into habits, but it is so worth it to get free of our own virtual prisons!

For example, you say you "hate" summer - but there's no reason to hate an entire season! Surely there are some good things about summer. Rather than cause yourself stress by feeling unhappy about three straight months, find ways to focus on the good parts. It's not that you hate summer - I bet there's some things you like about it. What are those? Maybe there are sports or shows you enjoy in the summer?

Give thought to the things you *love* about summer. Sure, there are flies. There's always something to "deal with" in each season, and that's OK. But flies are just one tiny part of what summer is all about.

Our brains fall into ruts based on where we let them go. It's like someone driving the same way to work every day. It becomes second nature. They don't even think about it. That's how the brain works. It builds in traditions. We don't think about how we brush our teeth - we just do it. The brain is built for that.

So if you build in a tradition of looking for the bad things, you'll always find them. There will always be something bad to see. But that causes all sorts of bodily stress and damage. So it's a good habit to get out of.

Try this. The next time you start to think about something unhappy or bad, bring up the vision of a giant red stop sign. And think to yourself, STOP. The visual helps . Then think about something you LOVE. It can be a food or a sports team or a place. Whatever it is, focus on that. Let the other negative thing go. Whatever it is, it's not that important.

Try that just for one day. Just for one day, STOP your mind when it goes down its well worn ruts.

I'll do it too, with you!