One: Stress

Stress is an adaptive response.  Feelings of mental discomfort occur to make us realize that some of the elements in our lives are out of balance.  Happiness is balance.  Therefore, we strive to restore a state of happiness by addressing the sources of stress as best we can. 

What’s interesting is, the stress that we feel is not directly caused by the source or stressor.  The stress is caused by our mental reactions to it. As Dr. David Burns points out, “Remember that our suffering does not result from reality but from the judgments we make.”

Most of the time, these reactions or judgments are emotional, such as fear, anger, hurt.  Emotion is a powerful teacher.  It trains us to assess daily experiences in certain ways that are not always beneficial.

Ironically, emotion should not be in charge of processing stress.  The best way to prevent our stress from becoming overwhelming is to use logic.  Logical thinking about events and ideas, a realistic view instead of an emotional view, prevents anxiety, and ultimately, depression. 

As we think, so it shall be.

Happiness