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Do You Try to Do Too Many Things at Once?
One kind of minor stressor involves trying to do too many things at once. Trying to squeeze one additional errand into a given time window creates tension. Will I make it to my dental appointment on time if I squeeze in picking up the dry cleaning beforehand? Actually, the dry cleaning could be picked up later if I weren't pushing myself and being in a rush.
Do You Remain Stuck in a Habit, Unable to Change It?
Another source of minor stress occurs when you are stuck in a habit that may be more stressful than if you did something differently. Driving home, you may wonder whether an alternate route would be a better way to get there. Perhaps it might be a little shorter or perhaps it might be a little less congested. You may drive past that alternate route every day, wondering. Will you ever test it? Will you ever say to yourself, "I'll try it, and if it isn't better, I don't have to do it again?" This thought nags at you. But if you are stuck in the habit of driving your usual route, unable to test an alternative, that nagging thought will be a source of stress.
Making Mistakes
Yet another source of minor stress involves making mistakes. No matter what kind of work we do, we don't always do it perfectly. Making a mistake can cause us to take longer to finish something that needs to get done. Being late to a meeting may cause us to miss out on some relevant information. Walking into the wrong room can cause a moment of embarrassment. All of these mistakes cause stress.
It is easy to make mistakes in our relationships. We may misjudge a friend's need for our presence, or for her need to have some space. We may misjudge someone's sensitivities and say something that upsets him. We may unwittingly offend someone by being oblivious to our subliminal prejudices. Or we may act unduly on our competitive tendencies. We may at times overly prioritize our needs over another's. Whether we make these kinds of mistakes inadvertently, or with the knowledge that we are erring, we will feel stress.
How Can You Do Away with These Sources of Stress?
I will soon be offering a new technique for reducing all forms of stress. In the meantime, you can use my complimentary Tool. In Step 3, instead of wishing to feel peaceful and calm, wish for a new mental pathway that will help you identify a type of minor stressor that you may not have previously recognized, and wish for it to help you overcome that stressor.
GET THE COMPLIMENTARY Tool
