Who has not known stress? I am sure even a newborn would experience it the moment it takes its first breath, moving from the comfort zone of the embryonic bubble to an unknown new world.
Stress can range from subtle discomfort to uncomfortable distress in the mind. It can occur at any moment, without us being ready for it. Stress can result from accumulated unhappy events or unwarranted triggers. No one can stop stress from arising. We try to find ways to get rid of it if we can, more often than not, by external means. And there are two ways to it. If it is self generated stress, then it can be going for gratification or enjoyment to relief the stress. Whereas, if the stress is externally caused, then blame, excuses, or making another wrong will be the way to go. It is always 'other-than-me' causes. I guess most of us do that most of the time by blaming the causes outside of ourselves.
Ironically, by blaming the causes of stress outside of us, we are, for the long term, unknowingly causing more stress to arise within us. How so? Simply because if the actual root cause is not known, we are actually compounding and exacerbating our existing stresses with new stresses.
Going for holiday, for instance, is actually stressful (if one is honest enough), though there are little pockets of enjoyment. Drinking or smoking muddles the mind and that helps little in encouraging right thinking. Not to mention the stress from having to maintain all these lifestyle. Blaming another only increases anger in us, doubling our stress.
We are doing all these over the years, subtly or grossly, never finding a better solution in coming to peace with ourselves. Is there another unchartered way, a way we have never known? Is there an error we didn’t notice? Is it possible we have targeted the wrong cause from which our stress originates?
What about considering starting a new year with us through an exploratory journey of understanding in finding out what awareness or mindfulness with wisdom can bring to your life by leading you to realize what stress is, the cause of it, the end of it and the way out of it?
Join us in our 2018 classes, not forgetting a free talk coming up on the same topic on stress. Have a blessed new year!
In grace,
Tuck Loon