Handling Holiday Stress – Part 3 ? Accepting the Situation

I can't believe we're in February already! It seems we were just celebrating and recovering from New Year's Eve. It looks like Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow on Groundhog Day, which means an early spring is on the way.

Over the last two stress newsletters, we spoke about two of the three A's of stress, Altering the Situation and Avoiding the Situation.?Today, our series on holiday stress continues with tips on Accepting the Situation.?(You can read previous articles here)

Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Our final A will help us cope with those things that cannot be changed.

When we change our perception, we gain control. - Greg Anderson

The Third A

Our third A will help us deal with those things in life that must be done, even though they are unpleasant. Accepting the situation as it is, and being as positive as possible about it, is what this third A is all about. You can even use some of the principles from the first A to alter your attitude and make the situation a little less stressful!

Some examples include:

• Going to the dentist
• Taking a turn presenting a team project instead of passing it off to someone else
• Visiting a lonely neighbor who tends to be unpleasant

Identifying Appropriate Situations

Accepting the situation is appropriate when:

1. The task must be done eventually
2. Avoiding or altering it would cause undue stress to you or another person

Accepting the situation is not appropriate when:

1. You are doing so just to please others
2. Avoiding or altering it would reduce your stress more than accepting it
3. You are accepting it because you feel you have no choice.

Creating Effective Actions

Some people feel that accepting stressful situations and living through them makes them powerless. This is not true. With this approach, you are choosing to accept the situation rather than to alter or avoid it. Often, having the power of choice can reduce stress greatly.

Another tactic that can help you accept a situation is positive thinking, as discussed in the first A. Or, identify the benefits of accepting this situation. Earlier, we used the example of taking a turn presenting a team project instead of passing it off to someone else. If you went ahead and presented the team project, you could gain many things from it, including:

• Respect from managers and co-workers
• Self-respect
• More confidence and experience when speaking in public

Next time, we'll talk about?Using Routines to Reduce Stress.

Have a great week!

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