Stress Managment and Mastery: 7 Ways to Take Yourself Off Restriction
Q. So many times in my life, I seem to hold myself back from what I want to do. I make great plans and have great intentions, but then end up holding myself back in some way. Do you have any suggestions for changing this?
A. When you were a kid, did you ever do something wrong and get put on restrictions? You know, no TV, stay in your room, can't play with friends, for what seemed like an eternity?
What would it be like if we were still on the same restrictions from when we were kids?
It would seem kind of silly, would it not?
And yet we tend to keep ourselves "on restriction" in so many areas of our lives.
These restrictions tend to fall into certain categories. See if any of these fit for you.
1) I can't:
Ask for what I want.
Be successful.
Get the right job.
Stand up for myself.
2) I shouldn't:
Go for what I want.
Act selfish.
Say no.
Think for myself.
3) I'm only:
Good at one thing.
A young person.
An old person.
4) I don't have:
The right genes.
The right connections.
5) I have:
Too much against me.
A bad attitude.
6) They said:
I couldn't do it.
I wouldn't make it.
7) I'm too:
Young, old, fat, thin.
If you recognized yourself in any of these restrictions, don't despair. Look at it this way. When we were kids, parents could put us on restrictions and take us off. But now we are adults. We can take ourselves off restrictions.
How? There are three steps.
1. Question the restriction. Here are some questions to ask:
Does this make sense?
Does this fit in my life?
Does it help me meet my goals?
Does it help me to feel and act the way I want?
If you can't get a yes to any of these questions, it's time to discard the restriction as no longer useful in your life.
2. Make fun of the restriction.
Have you ever gently teased yourself about something in your life? I don't mean in a negative or mean sense. You need to be able to laugh at your own self-imposed limitations.
3. Replace it with an ability.
Here's a general rule about changing restrictions: Never remove a restriction without replacing it with a belief that strengthens you.
Take, for example, one of the statements above: "I can't ask for what I want." After you have questioned and laughed at the restriction, simply replace it with "I can ask for anything I want, I just need to learn how."
See the difference?
Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.
MORE RESOURCES:
Volunteers keep Columbia beautiful Columbia Star Columbia Green provides funding to support the beautification of greater Columbia with the goals of promoting quality landscaping, gardening, education, and conservation for the enjoyment of the people of Columbia, its visitors, and the area's economic ... |
 Daily Commercial | Expert gardener to speak at Florida fair Daily Commercial Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase goods from local merchants who specialize in landscaping, gardening, irrigation, horticulture, fertilizer, composting, hardscapes and more. Workshops and seminars will help educate visitors about best ... |
Sal Monteagudo, Community Activist: Mentoring across cultures Morris Sun Tribune In addition to Monteagudo's laundry list of community action and service talents, he likes to learn various trades, among them shingling, painting, landscaping, gardening—home projects, large and small, that help to reduce costs in maintaining one's ... |
Stress Management: How to Change Limiting Beliefs
Mark Twain once said, "It's not what we don't know that hurts us. It's what we know that isn't so.
Understanding Your Stress Levels
In order to understand stress better, it is a good idea to understand that there are different stress levels. These levels vary in the form of stress they take and they can often provide an indication of how to treat the stress.
How to Stop Stress and Overwhelm Quickly!
My work often deals with proactive, preventive means to Overcome Overwhelm & Achieve Your Desired Results. During our transitions, overwhelm can still come up from time to time, so we need to have the tools to stop stress and overwhelm quickly when it does arise.
Sshhh... Listen to Your Own Voice
It was a self-exploration that made me understand myself. It was like discovering the one last elusive word in a jigsaw puzzle that completes other words.
Need To Stop Worrying?
I once worked with a woman whose zest,joy and enthusiasm lit up the room [and it was a big office!]I remarked that it was lovely that she was always such uplifting company."Oh,I wasn't always like this", she replied.
Conquering Stress and Depression with Exercise
One of the best ways to combat stress and depression is to make physical fitness a part of your daily routine. Aside from the proven health benefits of exercise, people who exercise regularly are more apt to deal with stressful situations more easily, handle physical work tasks better, and tend to be less susceptible to illness and injuries.
Stress Relief in Minutes
For those who are suffering from stress, just about the hardest thing to find is stress relief. Stress can often continue itself on its own energy and, as it mounts up upon itself, it builds itself into an absolute mental frenzy.
Stress Management and Mastery: Shake It Off and Step Up
The moment I read the story I'm about to share with you, I knew it would make a good article. It has one of the best approaches to managing stress, change and, for that matter, life and its living that I have ever read.
Stress & Performance: How Much is Just Right?
WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYSExperts in the stress management field have traditionally found it difficult to pinpoint how much stress is optimum. A very recent study, carried out by the University of Ohio, showed the relationship really depended on your definition of performance.
Reduce Stress and Enjoy More Sleep
If you suffer from insomnia of any kind, the chances are you don't need to be told that there's a significant connection between sleep problems like insomnia and stress. In fact, as cases of insomnia and related sleep problems increase, more and more people find themselves caught between the pressures and responsibilities of daily life and their desire for a good night's sleep.
Reclaim Your Life - Extraordinary Self-Care Day
When was the last time you took a day just for yourself? If you're a small business owner or anyone else for that matter, you answer is probably never. I first learned the principal; of Extraordinary Self-care Day at a workshop given by my friend Terri Levine the author of Work Yourself Happy.
Stress Reduction and Sacred Moments
"The great lesson from the true mystics, from the Zen Monks, and now also from the Humanistic and Transpersonal psychologists - that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, friends, and family, in one's back yard, and that travel may be a flight from confronting the sacred - this lesson can be easily lost. To be looking elsewhere for miracles is to me a sure sign of ignorance that everything is miraculous.
Managing Stress - Hire the Right People
Managing stress is not easy if you don't have the right people in your business or team.One of the biggest challenges any business owner or manager has is hiring the right people.
How to Cope When Things Go Wrong
There are times in every person's life when things do not go according to the way we would like. All of us have our ups and downs.
Are You Soakin' It Up?
?And holding it way down inside you like an old sponge? Be careful. Just like an old sponge that's held its liquid a little too long, we may start to get stinky in a day or two.
Five Tips to De-stress Your Life
I recently received this e-mail message about stress management (author unknown)?------------------------A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter.
Stress Management
Have you ever said the words, "This job/my life is so stressful!" Or something else along those lines?Most people believe that stress is something that happens in their lives. They believe it is the result of outside circumstances beyond their control.
Conflict Resolution ... What The Heck Are You Thinking?
Do you get frustrated with your spouse, your kids, your parents? Maybe you can't stand your boss, or your co-workers drive you up the wall. I'll bet you think that if all these pesky people would just quit bothering you that you'd be really happy, right? Well guess what, you'd just find something else to drive you crazy because you like how it feels.
Managing Your Persistent Fears And Anxieties
Everybody deals with fear and anxiety, however some people have a hard time in managing it. As a result, here is a brief list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their most persistent fears and anxieties.
Relieve Anxiety with Hypnosis
There are two types of anxiety:*Situational *Existential.Most of us experience both kinds.
