We’ve been told that multitasking will make us more productive, efficient and effective, when the truth is far different. It’s a major cause of stress, which means you react to situation without thinking them through. Learn one strategy to break this cycle, get more done, and have more resources to handle challenges.
Copyright 2015 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
Learn to change how you react to stress
You can reverse the effects of stress and learn how to change the way your body responds to it. Managing stress doesn’t mean eliminating stressors from your life. It means developing positive strategies for dealing with stress and here are some suggestions.
Focus on you: Empowerment through silence
You may feel the busyness of your life seems to keep everything in control, but really, does it instead serve to keep you stuck and block you from moving forward? Learning how to become comfortable with your own thoughts and feelings can improve your intuitions and relationship to yourself.
Mindfulness and Self-Love: Tools to Achieve Your Goals
Perception is reality. How many times have we achieved something or received praise for our work and felt good for a bit, only to have our self-esteem drop again? Learn how to turn this perception around to be more accepting and compassionate towards yourself.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
How badly do you want a change in your life? To create change, you’re going to have to let something else go to make room for it. Learn what you need to decide before you can move forward.
by Linda-Ann Stewart
Stress has gotten to be a hot button issue in our society. We read articles, books, take classes and seminars to manage and reduce our stress. The message we get is that we need to completely eliminate stress from our lives. But common, everyday stress isn’t the real culprit that causes all of the trouble.
Hans Selye, a researcher, coined the term “stress,” and made the distinction between stress and distress. Distress is when we have so much going on internally or externally that our mental and emotional resources are overwhelmed. We all know what it’s like to have a deadline for a project, a loved one sick, the car break down, and, as a result, be irritable or exhausted. This kind of trouble, if it continues for a period of time, will begin to affect not only our mental health, but our physical health. This is what all the talk about stress is addressing.
Believe it or not, everyday stress can be a good thing. If we just coast through life, we don’t learn anything. With no challenges, no obstacles to overcome, we don’t develop new ways of dealing with things. Think of the old adage, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Every discovery was created to fill a need and deal with a problem.
The telephone makes it easier for us to communicate. When it was first developed, people couldn’t see a need for one in every house. Now, many people can’t imagine being without one for even a second. I’m not going to comment on whether cell phones are a good or bad thing. It’s just that the invention of the telephone originally was created to fill a need.
The way we get physically stronger is to exercise. When we lift weights, do yoga, or hike, we’re stressing and stretching our muscles. If we don’t do that, then we lose the ability to get around. In much the same way, we evolve by stretching ourselves. As long as we do the same thing every day, we don’t expand.
About twenty-five years ago, I got involved in a multitude of organizations. I had no personal time and was doing too much. It caused me to go into distress, and my health began to suffer. However, it was also a wondrous time as it helped me overcome personal limitations and expand spiritually. Because I was willing to stretch myself, I reaped enormous benefits.
The problem comes when we get our schedules so packed that we don’t have time for ourselves or things that bring us joy. Even a plant needs space to be able to grow and expand its roots. When we don’t have enough breathing room to process what’s going on in our lives, then we go into a distressed mode because we’re simply running from crisis to crisis. Even when we exercise, we have to let our bodies rest and recuperate from their workout to actually build muscle tissue.
Beginning to feel overwhelmed, getting sick, and feeling exhausted is a good signal it’s time to pull back. When I found I was over involved, I eliminated several of the activities I’d been involved in. Later on, I rejoined a couple of groups, but made sure I could say “no” if I began to feel overwhelmed again.
When we’re beginning to feel stagnant, bored or stuck, then it may be a sign for us to try a new path and step out of our comfort zone. During that stressful period of my life, some of my activities included holding responsible positions in a couple of community organizations, acting in theater productions, and helping with all aspects of publicity for the theater company. All of it was new to me. But by stretching myself, it gave me access to new internal resources, confidence in my abilities and broke through internal blocks.
Learning to create a balance between stretching ourselves, and distressing ourselves, takes some practice. Feeling inundated, and like we don’t have time to breathe may mean it’s time to take a break and assess what’s going on in our lives. However, if we’re too comfortable and in a rut, it might be a good time to take a class or get involved in some new interest. There is a happy medium between standing still and racing out of control. Personal development and spiritual evolution comes from slightly stressing and stretching ourselves and expanding into something new.
Affirmation
I take stock internally to assess whether I need my life to slow down or to reach out for more stimulation. The Universe guides me in what to do about this. If I need to reduce my stress, I am Divinely inspired in how to do so. If I need to stretch myself more, I am directed to the Divine Right activities. I learn how to balance my life, so that I release old limitations and expand into living life fully. All that I need is provided.
As a speaker, personal and professional development coach and hypnotherapist, Linda-Ann Stewart empowers business and professional women who are stuck, immobilized or overwhelmed get focused, prioritize and break through so they reduce stress and generate more business. If you’d like some help to reach your goals, email her at LAS@Linda-AnnStewart.com with “Complimentary Consultation” in the subject line.
Is your mindset or taking action more important? Without the right mindset, one that’s in alignment with your vision, your actions won’t be successful. All the right strategies in the world won’t make up for a mindset that doesn’t believe your goal is possible. Learn 3 concepts that hold you back and what to do about them.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
Speaker, author and success expert, Brian Tracy, explains how optimists cultivate their positive attitude. He describes some of their characteristics that make them that way. When you do the same things that optimistic people do, you’ll become one of these people. Model them and you’ll develop the same qualities.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
Most people are afraid of asking for what they want because they don’t want to be turned down. But then they waste time waiting and wondering if they’ll ever get it. Being clear and being specific in asking for what you want is the fastest way to get there. Learn why asking for what you want is so important.
~ Linda-Ann Stewart
Question: What’s the difference between a goal and a vision?
Answer: A goal is time limited. Once it’s accomplished, it’s done. Hopefully, you then move on to the next one. A vision is unlimited and has a broader scope. A goal is one task or achievement. It helps to build the vision as a step along the way. A vision gives focus to your goals, stringing them together so they move you in a specific direction.
A person can have a goal, but no vision of how it fits into their life. Once the goal is completed, they may backslide or hit a brick wall. The vision has to do with the reason or purpose you’re reaching the goal. It’s the motivating factor for working on the goal.
As a vision, it’s the long range view of how you ultimately want your life or business to be. Your vision is your inspiration for creating and achieving the goals that take you there.
Copyright 2015 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
Question: When affirming the fulfillment of a goal, such as finding a job, doesn’t it interfere with the process of the 
subconscious to keep seeking it, such as networking, looking at ads, etc.?
Answer: This is a very good question. As a person is learning about how the subconscious works, it’s sometimes difficult to know just what to do. The object is to focus on your goal, such as finding the perfect job, but not to concern yourself as to which one or how you’ll find it.
Then you go about the action necessary to find a job. This sends forth energy into the world and lets your subconscious know that you’re serious about finding one. You may not locate your job from any of the avenues you’ve pursued, but the subconscious has been working behind the scenes, and you may bump into someone, or have someone contact you.
By thinking on this over and over, and keeping your mind focused on the goal, and working towards it, this helps the subconscious know what you want and that you truly want it. And by not trying to figure out “how” it will happen, this keeps you out of the subconscious mind’s way.
So many times, a person might say “I want a new job,” but do nothing to that end. The subconscious then figures that is just a fleeting wish. The dominant idea that a person has is what will manifest. In this case, the person might wish for a new job, but not want to put out any effort to find one. The dominant idea is to take the easy way out and stay where they are.
Copyright 2006, 2015 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved
When you want to achieve a goal, it has to be your priority for you to accomplish it. Your actions show what your priority is at that moment. Change isn’t easy. Committing yourself to your goal, vision or desire each day will ensure it become a reality in your life.