Dr. Mort Orman here, and do you believe in serendipity?
Not the movie, which I actually liked, but what the movie was about—real life, fortuitous, random happenings that appear to have been preordained to make your life better.
I think I had one of these moments today, while trying to figure out what I was going to write for you this week.
I was searching on Google for a topic related to Valentine’s Day, which is coming up shortly. I remembered a news story I saw several years ago, where a Michigan divorce attorney held a contest awarding a free divorce on Valentine’s Day to the couple who submitted the most compelling story.
I wanted to see if this attorney was sponsoring his contest again, in 2016, and as I was searching the web, I must have accidentally clicked on something that took me to a webpage promoting a free, fully developed stress management course that you could download, edit and use as your own.
The webpage also displayed a detailed Table Of Contents for all 12 Modules of this course, as well as some highlights of what is covered in each module.
So I looked over the list of main topic headings and subtopics, and I was immediately reminded of why I HATE the typical babble and unhelpful advice served up by online stress management courses.
And right then I knew…that serendipity had blessed me again.
I had to write about this free stress management course—immediately!
The Valentine’s Day divorce lawyer story would just have to wait.
Reason #1: Nothing New Nor Relevant
The first reason I hate most online stress management courses is because they simply rehash old, worn out self-help advice that has been circulated (and mostly ignored) for decades.
For example, one entire Module of this course is devoted to telling you why you should eat better, exercise more and get plenty of restful sleep at night.
As if you already didn’t know that.
Another Module focuses on using routines to help you reduce your stress, such as planning meals, organizing chores, and utilizing a to-do list.
Really? Is this the best stress relief advice you’ve got?
I don’t know about you, but getting better at planning my meals is not going to reduce very much stress in most people’s lives. Neither is organizing chores.
And I already make use of to-do lists, actually several of them.
Reason #2: False Assumptions About Stress
The second reason I HATE online stress management courses (and most other stress management courses, books, DVDs, as well) is because they keep propagating myths and misconceptions about stress that seriously disempower the very same stressed out people they are trying to help.
In the first training Module of this course (after the introduction Module) they start off just like every other stress management course does, by trying to explain what stress is and how harmful it can be.
In this Module, the first two subtopics are: 1) What is Stress? And 2) What is Eustress?
I don’t even have to read how they answer these two questions, because I already know that since they obviously bought into the eustress (good stress) myth, they have no clue at all what stress really is.
NOTE: You’ll have to explore some of my other writings and teachings to understand my point of view here.
Reason #3: A Turd By Any Other Name…Is Still A Turd!
Here’s another pet peeve I have about the authors who create all these worthless online stress management courses.
They constantly try to get cute, and appear “inventive,” by coming up with fancy new terms to sell us the same old worn out advice that we’ve all heard (and rejected) a million times before.
In this course, they’ve come up with a new angle which they call “The Triple A Approach.”
Sounds new and intriguing, doesn’t it?
Well, their “Triple A Approach” is nothing more than choosing among:
- Altering a stressful situation
- Avoiding a stressful situation
- Accepting a stressful situation
Absolutely astounding and earth-shattering new advice…don’t you think?
Not to mention that choices #1 and #2 are rarely things we can do, and choice #3 is not what people want.
We don’t want to “accept” our stressful situations…we want to have less of them!
I’m Just Getting Started
This is the first of three posts I’ll be publishing this week on why I HATE this free stress management course—and most others.
And the three reasons I’ve mentioned so far are only the tip of the iceberg.
I’m just getting started. Just warming up.
In my next post this week, I’ll tell you four more reasons why I HATE stress management courses like this.
Until then…
To your health, happiness and success,
Dr. Mort Orman, M.D., International Speaker, Author And Founder Of The Stress Mastery Academy | http://DocOrman.com
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