Practical Psychology is a weekly newspaper column I have been writing for over 20 years. It is designed to address psychological topics that are most useful to its readers. Please feel free to re-print any of them in any form you wish. I ask only that you give the information about how to subscribe and credit for authorship. Thanks.

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR STRESS
By Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D.

According to the Surgeon General of the U.S., 75-80 percent of the illnesses for which we seek medical treatment are "stress-related." You are the leader of your own life. You are the leader of your family. You may be the leader of a business or organization. How does an effective leader manage personal stress, so that it doesn't result in some kind of physical or mental breakdown? They take charge of their own stress level!

Realize that stress does not exist outside you. You are in charge of your stress level, and can learn to manage it to your advantage. Stress is not all bad. The stress only becomes a problem when it goes off when not needed; when it stays on longer than is useful; or when you can't turn it off. You can also use your stress to motivate and empower you to accomplish tasks, to sharpen your thinking, and to maintain a high level of energy. The key is to learn to control and manage your stress to maximize your performance and avoid burnout. Here are 14 tips for creatively managing your stress.

View change and "problems" as challenges, not as loss or threat. Change is constant. Change is the price we pay for being alive. Search for the opportunities, not the obstacles, inherent in change. Convert the stress of change into excitement for meeting a new challenge.

Have a continuous positive orientation and outlook for yourself and others. William Arthur Ward once wrote, "The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails."

Develop flexibility, agility and tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty. Ensure flexibility in your approach by being willing to quickly modify what isn't working.

Use language to create meaning and context for change, achievements and solutions. Everyone needs to feel important. Use a vocabulary that recognizes and appreciates others. Nobel laureate, Hans Selye, in his groundbreaking research on stress said that "gratitude is the most stress-less emotion."

Identify the things you can control and focus energy and attention on them. Avoid spending time, energy, worry or thought attending to things over which you have no influence or control.

Refuse to get derailed by those who are pessimistic, resistant or discontent.

Take 100 percent responsibility for your responses. Winston Churchill once said, "The price of greatness is responsibility."

Refuse to take personally the tensions and conflicts brought about by change or by those people around you. Have a community of people who are optimistic, passionate and oriented around possibility, creativity and opportunity.

Have confidence in your ability to influence events and circumstances around you. You do have an impact not only with your actions, but also with your thoughts and energy. Success guru, Napoleon Hill wrote, "You have absolute control over but one thing, and that is your thoughts. If you fail to control your own mind, you may be sure you will control nothing else."

Take excellent care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Maintaining a balance in all of these aspects of your life will minimize your stress and maximize your health.

Frequently debrief with others, giving and receiving feedback that is relevant and important to managing both the risks and possibilities associated with anticipated or desired change.

Continually renew and update your knowledge and skills. Never stop learning.

Allow yourself and others the space to experiment with fresh approaches. Encourage the expression of new ideas, solutions and viewpoints. If there ever was a time we needed a grand new idea, the time is now!

View setbacks and mistakes as natural and necessary aspects of risk-taking and learning. View failures as stepping stones toward success.

If you practice the above principles, you will maximize your stress-management abilities and become an effective leader as well.

Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D. has 30+ years experience as a Life Coach and Licensed Psychologist. He is available for coaching in any area presented in "Practical Psychology." Initial coaching sessions are free. Contact him: (970) 568-0173 or E-mail: DrLloyd@CreatingLeaders.com or LJTDAT@aol.com.

Dr. Thomas also serves on the faculty of the Institute For Life Coach Training and the International University of Professional Studies. He recently co-authored (with Patrick Williams) the book: *Total Life Coaching: 50+ Life Lessons, Skills and Techniques for Enhancing Your Practice*and Your Life!* (W.W. Norton 2005) available at your local bookstore or on Amazon.com.

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