Practical Stress Management -- 7 Spiritual Solutions

Stress is amazingly persistent, even seductive. We get usedto feeling tight and tense. Though positive thinking has itsplace, unless it is backed up by practical spiritual wisdom it tends to get overwhelmed and fade away.

Here are seven proven ways you can get a new handle onstress.

1. Control your REACTION with these 7 simple words.

The first step is to remain alert when people try to weigh youdown with their nervous comments and attitudes.

The next step is to reply to the attempted attack: "I havenothing to say to that." This cuts off the contagious effectof the stressful assault. It blocks the tendency to accept andimitate depressing words from others. Your nature does notfall down to the level of the anxious remark, but remains highabove it.

Negative people WANT to get you involved with their defeat,and this is a major method they use to do it. Your reply: "Ihave nothing to say to that" prevents them from drawing you inas their victim.

Inner life author Vernon Howard writes, "An attitude of defeatin another person cannot touch you unless you carelessly acceptit as yours. And there is no need at all for you to accept it.A quiet refusal to enter the battlefield is the perfect reply."

2. Let go of painful grudges by living in the present moment.

Hating someone is like drinking poison yourself and hoping theoffender will die from it. We must grant to others the sameopportunity for change or we shut the door on our owndevelopment. Therefore, it is our responsibility to releasethose who have caused harm to the providence of a higherpower, while simultaneously realizing they will be heldaccountable for their actions.

The secret to success without stress is to realize your newness in the present moment many times each day. NOW is so alive and energetic, so tangible and real, that painful grudges cannot "live" here. Grudges can only stay around when fueled byunaware and unproductive mental visits to the past.

3. Observe negative thoughts with the aim of understanding them,

instead of trying to suppress them.

Self-Observation is a master key to stress-free living.Instead of claiming stressful thoughts and feelings as ourown, we can observe and understand them. This understandingsets us free!

Self-observation is practical spirituality at its best. MarcusAurelius, the ancient Roman Emperor said, "Those who do notobserve the movement of their own minds must of necessity beunhappy." (Marcus Aurelius)

4. Pause often and enjoy a deep breath.

People are often so tense with stressful thinking they barelybreathe!

We can do something highly beneficial and intelligent. We cantake brief breaks many times a day, even if for only 30 seconds!We can pause, take a deep breathe, look around and relax.

Suppose you feel tempted to give in to someone when you knowyou should not. Instantly fall into internal relaxation.Breathe away your tensions. Your habitually anxious andresentful attitudes will fall away like leaves from a tree.They will be replaced by a clear mind that reveals what isbest for you.

5. Realize you have far better things to think about!

The old way of thinking has its favorite grooves; for example,negative mental film clips that pull you away from the presentmoment. When you detect yourself involved in one of theseinternal movies, pause and say to yourself, "There are betterthings to think about." This instantly snaps the spell andmoves you to higher ground.

You'll feel much less stress and an abundance of new vitalityas you reclaim the energy once consumed by these negativemental film clips. Suddenly wake up and come home to yourselfby enthusiastically declaring, "There are better things tothink about!"

6. Stay clear of negative zones of influence.

Our society is rampant with negative influences. They comefrom so many places, like frantic people, advertising anduntruthful politics. Never forget: Unaware people want you tovibrate on their stressful level.

It is your duty, your noble mission in life, to live inharmony with your Heart -- YOUR AUTHENTIC AND INTELLIGENTSELF. Though physically you may be in a stressful place, onceyou connect with your Heart you have the spiritual power tostay free inwardly. No law says you must fall under stressfulzones of influence.

7. Refuse to make stressful or angry comments.

Stress spills out into the world. It is like a snowballrolling down a hill that starts small then gathers size andmomentum. Therefore, we must stop stress in its infancy, andthe best place to do so is BEFORE it leaves the mouth.

Here's a wonderful way to dissolve stress in your life:

This insight exercise is called SELF-SURPRISE.Here's how itworks. You are about to say something angry or hurtful toanother person. The statement has left the dock - it istraveling at the speed of light toward the mouth. YourAWARENESS steps in and a higher choice is made; a switch isthrown and you do not say what you were about to say. You saysomething helpful and cheerful instead!

You'll instantly feel the trueness of practicing thisexercise. Anger or stress did not succeed in dictating yourspeech. Your power of choice lifted you above its arrows. This is not the practice of phony niceness. It is theexpression of true strength and authentic self-commandIt can only occur when your awareness is active, like the presence of a lighted lodge in the dark forest.

Conclusion:

The one supreme power that guarantees personal happinessis personal right thinking. This "right thinking" is based on practical wisdom. Try these seven methods and you'll see a hugedifference in your life. You'll have LOTS of energy!

Bio: Tom Russell is the author of several eBooks, including "ThePower of Vertical Thinking" and "7 Secrets to Light Up YourEssence." He is the host of http://www.SuperWisdom.com and the editor of the SuperWisdom E-zine, read biweekly by more than 20,000 people in 42 countries. He assists professional salespeople andentrepreneurs to live with greater energy, focus and spiritualinsight. He has been interviewed on more than 200 radio and TVtalk shows.