Three Big Things We Misunderstand About Stress (Part 1)
Three Big Things We Misunderstand About Stress (Part 1)
Here are three big things most people misunderstand about stress. The short version is that many of us misunderstand:
What stress actually is;
What causes our stress to occur;
What the best ways are to deal with stress.
If you misunderstand these three things, which almost everyone does, it should not be surprising that many people find living without stress very challenging, if not impossible.
In this post, I will clarify what stress really is an what it is not. In future separate posts, I will address the other two big misunderstandings.
What Is Stress?
If you’ve been following my teachings on stress during the past forty years, you know I have very different views about stress than most modern stress experts.
I also have much more success living without stress myself, and also helping others do the same. This is precisely because I think about and understand stress very differently…and you should start doing this too.
Many people have been brainwashed to believe that stress is real, that it exists, and that afflicts human beings all around the world. When I went to medical school more than 50 years ago, I was taught to believe this too. We were also taught about the physiological changes when people are under stress—hormones, neurotransmitters, cardiovascular overstimulation, the sympathetic nervous system activation, the flight-or-fight response, etc.
However, several years after my medical training, I discovered that this is not what stress really is. Yes, all sorts of physiological changes occur in our bodies when we say we are feeling stressed, but this is only part of the story.
When you tell the truth about stress, you will discover that stress is just a word. It is not a disease, a mental health condition, or even purely a physiological phenomenon.
Stress is just a word we invented to stand for “problems” in our lives—problems we don’t want or that cause mischief, like robbing us of happiness, health, sleep, good relationships, peace of mind, and maximum success.
You Have Never Suffered From Stress
Thus, whenever we say we are suffering from “stress,”…we are not. We are suffering from problems in our lives, and it is these problems which can and do stir up our physiology.
Now, this may seem like an inconsequential play on words, but when you start viewing “stress” in this way, it has profound implications:
You’ll stop focusing on “stress” and ask instead, “What are the problems I am having right now?”;
Instead of lumping all your problems together in one big basket and then labeling that basket “stress,” you’ll start to define your problems more precisely and then begin to focus on them one by one;
You’ll also begin asking much more powerful questions. Instead of asking, “How can I deal with my stress?” you’ll begin to ask focused questions like “How can I deal with my anger?” “How can I deal with my anxiety?” How can I deal with my relationship problems?” “How can I deal with my financial problems?” “How can I deal with Covid or some other health threat?”
Knowing that “stress” is just a word for problems makes you very intelligent and insightful and makes you more knowledgeable about stress than most stress experts alive today.
Think about this for a moment. Then, do what you need to do to never forget it.
Until next time…
To your health, happiness, and success,
Dr. Mort Orman, M.D.
Internal Medicine Physician
Leading Anger Elimination & Stress Elimination Expert
Creator, Angry No More (10-week Anger Elimination Program)
Creator, The Anger Internal Causes Framework
Creator, The Ultimate Anger Elimination System
Author or co-author of 33 Books on Eliminating Anger and Stress (23 as solo author; 10 as co-author or contributing author)
Author, Dr. Orman's Life Changing Anger Cure (most recent book)
My Vision for You: Winning At Life
"I believe we all have the internal power and resources to
live, love, and work anger-free and mostly stress-free."
