Replies to 'Coping with Stress'

Normalita, why are you apologising? If you are going to use this kind of logic, shouldn't I apologise to you for answering you and bringing on the "bad luck"? Life happens. It's a good practice to guard against bad things by living right, but sometimes tornadoes come anyway. If you constantly look for bad things on the heels of every good moment you have, guess what? they will come.  Balance is enjoying the good times, and realizing that life is ups and downs, so sooner or later you will have to manage stress. Health and authenticity helps us to realize that life's down times will not destroy who we are, and what we think about ourselves inside. Have you considered that you may be addicted to stress, and over-react to situations in order to make them more stressfull than they need to be?

If you happen to come back to the boards and read this, then I hope you read my entire letter before you decide how to react.

I have read all your letters pleading for answers and I have read the replies of concerned readers.  Normally I do not even reply to letters like yours because it would be as if I was banging my head against a wall.  I say this because, no matter what people have said to you or what book you have read, you still have not grasped the concept that they were trying to relay to you.  It is as if you want step by step instructions on how to live everyday the rest of your life!

You want it, you asked for it, you got IT!:
1)  You decide every morning if you are in charge, or if events and people are in charge of your day.  Read step 2 if YOU decide to be in charge.
2)  You decide when you eat, rest, visit with family, open your mail or answer your phone.  ANYTHING you do today......YOU DECIDE WHEN.  If you believe this, then go to step 3
3)  You are in TOTAL control of any and all of your emotions connected to circumstances that happen in your life.  Everyone on this planet has something that they do not like to happen to them on one day or another and sometimes everyday.  More often or not, negative events in our lives are lessons in our lives and those who are wise look at them as that, instead of "The world is out to get me" attitude.  If you believe this then go to step 4.
4)  Live your life everyday as if you were going to die tomorrow.  If you choose to be sad, then do a good job being sad.  If you choose to be happy, then do a good job being happy.  Each day, be better than yourself.

 If you believe this, then have a very happy life with good and bad days of learning how to be a wonderful giving human who is responsible, self sufficient and loving.

From another human who is doing all four steps.

Everything anyone needs is within their reach - basically we are all individuals and what works for one might not work for everyone - there is however an average set of people that an average type of solution works for.  If you are not one of those populating the majority of the bell curve, thank God for it.  Often the problems we face are there to make us learn something about ourselves or about others for that matter.  A problem or situation should be approached as an opportunity to learn something that the universe needs to teach us - it's not meant to lock us down, it should be liberating and must never be seen as the universe being out to get at us - everything out there is neutral, it's what we make of it and the way we approach and handle it that counts...