Monday 27 May 2013

How To Get Better Grades And Stop Being A Stress Head

By Lachlan Haynes


Stress Is Everywhere

Stress abounds in the modern time-poor drama-filled world. Those that aren't feeling stressed are either lying to themselves or have managed to find a happy work/study/life balance that few people have the ability to create for themselves if they want to get good grades or pay their bills on time. So if you are feeling stressed - I say join the club!

What is really relevant here is how we respond to the feeling of stress. All of us can have feelings of impatience, irritation, annoyance and anger from time to time - but the way in which we react to those stimuli defines our ability to cope with stress.

High levels of stress can really obscure our judgement and result in us behaving in ways that we would not otherwise behave. Behaviors such as anger, aggression, frustration and edginess all result from high stress levels. This change in behavior almost always impacts on the people around us - whether that is school mates, other friends or family members. However it can also impact total strangers if we are stressed enough.

The major challenge with stress is preventing the behaviors it creates from becoming habits. Habits occur when we consistently engage in certain actions or behaviors over a certain amount of time. Therefore, if the feeling of "being stressed" becomes a regular feeling it may actually become the norm feeling. When that happens the individual spends their entire life feeling miserable but they aren't even aware it's because they have formed a detrimental habit.

Therefore, this is a habit that needs to be reversed. Why? Well those with high stress levels creating high amounts of conflict in their life will find it very difficult to reach high achievement levels at either school or in life.

The Problem: The Voice Inside Me Puts Me Down

Negative self-dialogue is a consistent reaction to stressful situations. Responses such as "I can't do this", "I am going to fail", or "I don't know what I'm doing" only add further stress to the stress that is being experienced! It is a downward spiral. Unfortunately, this type of dialogue is also our most powerful dialogue and controls our responses to stressful situations.

Negative self-dialogue creates a negative self-fulfilling prophecy. What this means is that the negative self-dialogue creates an outlook that "everything is negative" and "everything that happens is negative" thereby resulting in a completely miserable life experience. However, this is just a result of a negative perception - it's not "the truth". In other words, if someone believes their life is stressful, then it's stressful! If they don't believe it's stressful then it's not stressful! See how perception creates reality?

However, when negative self-talk becomes a powerful force it has the ability to completely overrun the individual and can result in a lonely experience (because everyone has removed themselves from the negative person's presence). In order to address this, positive self-dialogue needs to become the new habit.

The Solution: Be A Positive Pete

The remedy to negative self-dialogue is simple: positive self-dialogue. The hard part is executing it consistently enough that it becomes your new habit. Having just learned about the dangers of negative self-dialogue the benefits of positive self-dialogue should be clear. A regular state of optimism and positivism creates an amazing new outlook on life. Once again, this is a self-fulfilling prophecy - only this time it is a powerful positive force behind you. By having a feeling that "everything is fantastic" and "everything that happens to me is wonderful" is results in a totally different perception of life - and a totally different future for you.

Regardless of what your perception is telling you right now (that this is a lame idea of that it's a great idea) the reality is that a positive attitude leads to less stress - even though the situation itself has not changed at all. Regular positive and uplifting self-dialogue such as "I will succeed", "I will overcome this challenge", "I will prevail" or "My life always turns out for the best" will serve you in good times and bad. By making these positive thoughts your regular and consistent reaction to any challenge, your life will be better. No doubt about it. Don't believe me? Try it the next time you fail, or the next time you get criticized, or the next time you feel stressed out. They try it every day for a week, then every week for a month. I promise you that you will be amazed at what your new positive perception can accomplish.

By seeking to understand what is causing our stress we are much better equipped to find solutions and take action to turn things around. If you aren't sure what is causing your stress it is unlikely you will be able to do anything effective to address it. To read the full article and find out more please follow the links below. Good luck!




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment