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It’s All in Your Head: How to Beat the Illusion of Stress

May 7, 2012 By 10 Comments

We all get stressed, feel anxious, and get depressed on occasion.

We live in a world with constant stimulation where it can feel like we never have enough time.

If we’re aren’t careful this stress and anxiety will wear us down until we’re exhausted.

I have learned that it’s all too easy to get myself stressed out if I don’t take measures to cope and relax.

What I do to manage my busy life is stay grounded in the present moment through mindfulness.

Staying mindful allows me to stay mentally and physically healthy by coping with daily hassles that otherwise might get overwhelming. If you’re busy and on the go, taking a few minutes for reflective practice can make all the difference.

Episode#7 – It’s All in Your Head: How to Beat the Illusion of Stress

Today’s show is about how to deal with those frustrating daily challenges that lead to stress, and a guided mindfulness meditation is provided.

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Work to practice this exercise for 15 minutes each day. If you do so you will begin to realize that negative stress doesn’t have to be a fact of life. You’ll start to notice those aspects of your stress that were an illusion and you’ll be able to deal the day to day hassles without the added frustrations.

Highlights of the episode include:

  • Why much of our stress is self-imposed.
  • How stress about daily hassles can be conquered.
  • The importance of staying present.
  • A guided mindfulness meditation to help you start your practice.
  • Ideas for incorporating mindfulness into your daily life.

I hope you enjoy the podcast! Send any questions or suggestions for future episodes to joe@shakeoffthegrind.com.

You can also:

Download the podcast here!






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  • Kirk

    As always, you hit the nail on the head.  Stress is such and interesting phenomenon.  A book I read; likened to stress as a storm.  If you don’t involve yourself in it, it passes by without indecent.  Reassuring yourself you are in no real or present danger helps too. Thanks Joe.

  • Joe – Shakeoffthegrind

    Hi Kirk,

    I really appreciate you stopping by and leaving your input! I love the analogy of stress as a storm. It can seem very frightening when we consider all the possible negative things that could happen, however we can learn to keep a sense of inner-peace even during these difficult times.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Stevens/100001219009939 David Stevens

    Nice work here Joe…valuable resource
    be good to yourself
    David

  • Joe @ Shakeoffthegrind

    Hi David,

    Thank so much! I hope it offered some value. Have a great week!

  • http://www.simplemindfulness.com/ Paige – simple mindfulness

    Great intro to mindfulness meditation!  When I feel myself getting all worked up about everything that’s not getting done, I take a deep breath and bring myself back to the present.  I remind myself of the stress I’m creating by envisioning a future that doesn’t exist.  When I slow down and stay in the present, I’m calmer and actually get more done.  And I feel a lot better about everything (including myself) at the end of the day.  Thanks so much for this reminder Joe!

  • Joe – Shakeoffthegrind

    Hi Paige,

    Great to hear from you and thanks for the input. If we aren’t being aware our thoughts and concerns can really run over us. Developing awareness so we can remind ourselves to calm down and stay present can be life changing for this reason. Mindfulness meditation can be a wonderful foundation to grow this capacity and keep us centered amongst the crazy culture we live in. 

  • http://www.limitlessbelieving.com/ Stuart Mills

    A very good podcast today Joe, congratulations! Your work, as always, is of a high quality.

    I particularly liked your short meditation exercise – you have a natural ease with being in the present moment, and it shone through in your voice and composure. I enjoyed listening.

    Stay in the here and now :-)

  • Pingback: Love, The Only True Power. | Reflecting A Life

  • Joe – Shakeoffthegrind

    Hi Stuart,

    It’s much appreciated man, thanks for stopping by! There will be more of these to come. I have found that staying present really helps maintain a clam and collected demeanor. Making difficult decisions also becomes easier.

  • http://everlutional.com/ David Hamilton | Everlution

    So true.  Stress is only within us.  Taking time to slow down is key, and I like to advocate meditation, mindfulness or breathing breaks throughout the day. I actually think learning breath regulation at all times (not just when stressed) is uber-important, and made all the difference in my life.

    And I really love you included a mindfulness meditation practice in the podcast, MM is the shiz! :)