by: Janet Male
Ask a hundred different people how to deal with stress and you'll probably get the same amount of different answers....
Which could result in more stress....
And therein lies the key.
Stress is often caused by too much information coming from too many places.
There is more information in one daily newspaper than a person would have received in their whole lifetime a few centuries ago. And that's without even taking the internet into consideration.
No wonder we sometimes get stressed!
Naturally, other people's opinions can be interesting. But you don't have to take them all on board. Trying to will just drive you crazy!
It's so important to take some quiet time each day to be on your own. The answers that are right for you are found inside of you, you just have to tune in. Something that is 'right' just seems to 'bubble up' from within. So if something is bothering you by all means chat it through with friends if it makes you feel better. Just don't think you have to take every opinion on board.
Never feel guilty if your opinion is different from anothers. The biggest misery in life can be trying to' fit in' with another's dharma. Dharma is just another name for life path. A good example of this is the storyline often seen in movies:
Child is miserable because mother/father wants him/her to follow in his/her footsteps. Never under-estimate how traumatic this can be. If something is not right for you and you're trying to make it fit then much pain can result...
Just think of the 'ugly sisters' trying to fit into Cindarella's slipper!
So, if you're experiencing stress ask yourself:
"Am I being myself or am I trying to be what another would like me to be?"
The path to happiness is to be your true self. This in turn will make those around you happier because you will be also giving them 'permission' to be themselves.
So spread happiness by being true to yourself.
Enjoy!