Staying positive in stressful situations!

One of the most difficult things to do when you are under a lot of stress is to stay positive. In many cases, situations do not cause all of the stress that we experience. Sometimes, our reaction to circumstances (and what we say to ourselves about them) contributes to the stress we experience.Sometimes we are right in what we say to ourselves. Often, however, we are overly harsh and unjust in a way that we would never be with friends or co-workers. This, along with other negative thinking, can cause intense stress and unhappiness and can severely damage your self-confidence.

Negative thinking damages your performance by undermining your self-confidence. It also occupies attention at times when you need to focus your entire mind on what you are doing. This section shows you how to counter negative thinking effectively so that you can perform at your best.

Stress Diary:

One of the benefits of using the Stress Diary is that you log all of the unpleasant things in your life that cause you stress for one or two weeks. This will include negative thoughts and anxieties, and can also include difficult or unpleasant memories and situations that you perceive as negative.

By logging your negative thoughts for a reasonable period of time, you will quickly see patterns in your negative thinking. When you analyze your diary at the end of the period, you should be able to see the most common and the most damaging thoughts. Tackle these as a priority. Now that you have something specific to work on this is a great time to make an appointment with Michael!

Physical Stress response:

Remember a time when you had a VERY stressful day. At the end of the day I'm sure you were exhausted even if you did not have a physically strenuous day. This is because stress can change our biochemistry and our physical structure. We all have what I call our “favorite spots”. Meaning those areas that seem to hurt when we are under more stress. Sometimes it's the shoulders/neck or between the shoulder blades or even indigestion. A chiropractic adjustment can be used as a type of “pattern interrupt” to that stress response. This helps get your body out of “dis-eased” and back to “ease”.

- Dr. Martinsen