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Stress
Relief - Tips |
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Stress
management for relationship, at home and at work
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WE GET
LETTERS |
When
you read the following letter, you'll see why I encourage readers to contact
us. We have so much to learn from each other. The writer's privacy is respected
by changing the names. After all, the names are not important; it's the
contents that counts.
The
following letter is one I received after a lecture I gave several years ago,
titled The Stress of High Expectations. I kept this particular
letter for my own reference; it keeps things in perspective for me. It reads:
Dear Ina:
I recently saw a segment on 60
minutes where they featured
As I told you then, I have always
been in awe of people who seemed to know just what they were best at and
pursued it faithfully, like the writer, the artist, the athlete, the
politician. I have never had any passion like that and it made me feel so
ordinary. All I had was average intelligence, normal talent level, basic life
survival skills. There was nothing special about me.
That night, after your program, I
was lying in bed thinking about it. Then, it was as if a curtain was lifted
from my thoughts, because suddenly I knew what my purpose was.
My purpose is not to be the best
musician in the world, nor am I to be a famous feminist, or a captain of
industry. I am simply here to make my little corner of the world a better
place. I am here to ease a little pain wherever I can. UI am here to send goofy
cards to people who seem lonely; or to take my friend's children roller skating
while their mom goes to the doctor. I am here to drive my elderly neighbor to
the Bingo she enjoys so much. To put it briefly: I am here to bake
birthday cakes.
It's the most delightful purpose
there is, for I can never run out of ideas and the rewards are unbelievable. Of
course, at times, the job can be a little tedious, but somehow I never lose the
will to keep going. I now know the true meaning of the phrase: Labor of Love.
Love is something that may weaken, but it will never break.
In that respect, you might say
that I have become like the Danes. I'm happy for what I can do, and not unhappy
about what I can't. It's as if making peace with my own abilities has taken the
stress out of my life. I sleep better and feel content. In other words, I no
longer feel distressed.
D.McN
This
is the essence of the letter and I thought it was worth sharing. Stress is
often caused by trying to live up to what we think other people are expecting
of us. This is not to say that we shouldn't fulfill promises we have made.
Rather, it means that most people don't that much about what we do or don't do.
To quote Dr. Phil:
"It you know how seldom other people think about you, you wouldn't worry
so much about it."
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Home | Stress Response | Fight or Flight | About Author | We get letters For
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