Stresstab15: Reinterpreting Stress

It is easy to feel angry, fearful or hopeless when we judge the events in our lives to be stressful. We commonly view a storm, an outspoken co- worker, losing a game or race, getting a bad comment, being refused membership in a club, or being stopped by a security guard in negative terms. Interpreting the same situation in a different light can reduce the stress produced by a negative interpretation. For example, we can reinterpret a stressful situation as:

1. A growth promoting event which will give us experience and understanding even though it may be difficult to deal with,
2. A challenge where we will have a chance to experiment with our abilities and compete against the odds,
3. A natural and normal part of our life, which we need, to be better.

We can reinterpret the stressful events in our lives like life’s trials "...all things works together for good to those who love Him.”

We always have the choice of how we are going to interpret a situation. A blind person can interpret his physical disability as an affliction, which he will resent having all his life or interpret it as something which enables him to better appreciate the suffering of other people. A person who receives a speeding ticket can interpret the event as upsetting and unfair since so many other drivers were also speeding or interpret it as a chance to reevaluate his own driving habits which could prevent a future accident. An employee who has a selfish and outspoken officemate can interpret the situation of working with him as intolerable or interpret the situation as an experience which will prepare him for marriage since his future wife could never be more difficult to live with than his officemate. A parent can interpret his child's fussy behavior as tiring and something that needs to be curbed or interpret it as a natural behavior for a child that age and patiently try to cope with it until the child outgrows it.

Any sacrifice can be interpreted as an imposition on our time or as a chance for us to build our character and competence. How we interpret the stress in our environment directly affects our feelings, and in turn, influences our behavior. Negative interpretations usually produce stressful feelings and lead to avoidance or resistive behavior. Positive interpretations can produce satisfying feelings and lead to productive and growth promoting behavior.










Bibliography
1. Maughan, Michael L., Ed.D., Managing Stress as a College Student, Counseling and Development Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
2. Staying Sane, In a World of Uncertainty, Worldwide Church of God Publication Special Report
3. Model of Stress, www.stressfree.com/model.html
4. Effects and Process of Stress, Geocities.com
5. Marsh, Henry (1997). Reality Model, The Breakthrough Factor, USA: Simon and Schuster Inc.
6. Video Clips, FranklinCovey Planning Systems, www.franklincovey.com