Stress Management Tips: Perception Influences What You Do and Stress Levels

Описание: For more information, visit http://WithoutStress.com.

Have Dr. Marvin Marshall as a speaker for your next event. Visit http://MarvinMarshall.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

William James, the father of American psychology, phrased it this way, “ The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”

Stick around for this tip and see how “perceiving influences believing.”

The opening paragraph of my book, Discipline Without Stress, deals with perceptions of mindsets. It sets the stage for the entire book. My purpose is to have people be aware of how they phrase and verbalize their own thoughts because they have a significant affect on their perceptions and their beliefs.

You can see how perceptions and what you visualize affect your stress levels by the following little experiment.

First, close your eyes and imagine in your mind a seagull floating gracefully in the air. See it gently, easily, effortlessly gliding through the air. Now with your eyes a quarter of the way open so that you can see the floor in front of you imagine moving like a seagull—keeping the image of the seagull vividly in your mind.

Now, close your eyes and imagine a jackhammer. See it moving rapidly up and down in short, jerky, staccato movements. Now with your eyes a quarter of the way open so that you can see the floor in front of you imagine moving like a jackhammer—keeping the image of the jackhammer vividly in your mind.

Once again, close your eyes and imagine that effortless, graceful seagull floating on an air current, barely moving its wings. Now keeping that image of the seagull vividly in your mind, open your eyes a quarter of the way and move like a jackhammer.

You will have a great deal of difficulty moving like jackhammers while thinking of a seagull. Their movements will be somewhere in between jerky and graceful, or they will be frozen and you will be unable to move at all.

Here is the point: You cannot do anything counter to the images we hold in your mind.

Tip: In order to change a habit or behavior, you must change your perception by trashing the old and visualizing your new habit or behavior. Otherwise, any changes you attempt will be difficult and very short-lived.

Check out more information about reducing stress at WithoutStress.com.

Thanks for watching, sharing, and have a stress-free week!