Do You Live in a World of Fear?

Living in a world of fear produces chronic stress and impairs our immune systems, increasing inflammation and the risk of depression and physical disease. Stress also shuts down our higher brain centers, blocking our ability to think creatively, to discover solutions to our problems.

But we can begin moving from a world of fear to a world of hope by combining awareness with positive action. The first step is becoming aware of when we’re stressed and anxious, responding with “stress skills” to get back in balance. Then we can take taking the next steps to build our hope. These five key strategies combine in the acronym SHINE, and you can begin using them right now.

1. S–Stress skills. Learning to recognize and manage your stress reactions, using strategies such as a 90-second pause, mindful breathing, prayer, and taking a walk in nature (Nisbit, Zelenski, Murphy, 2011; Shapiro, 2009).
2. H–Happiness habits. Developing a foundation of positive feelings with habits like smiling, exercising, spending time with friends, volunteering, or pursuing a favorite hobby (Fredrickson, 2002).
3. I–Inspired actions. Setting meaningful, achievable personal goals and moving toward them one step at a time (Feldman & Dreher, 2012).
4. N–Nourishing Networks. Connecting with people who care about and support us, including trusted friends and family members, teachers, coaches, ministers, and counselors, and working to connect with them regularly to nourish those networks (Fredrickson, 2013).
5. E–Eliminating challenges. Recognizing negative thought patterns that get in the way of hope and challenges like limiting thinking, negative thoughts, worry, and rumination, and then using the first four strategies to overcome them.

Read the complete article available at Psychology Today!

Reflection:

What do you fear?

#Fear #Life #Habits

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