Stress is a fear that some resisted experience will happen unless you control something that is out of your control.

For example, you might be facing eviction unless you can pay your rent. And you don't have any certain way of making an income.

Or you might be in danger of experiencing the wrath of a person who explodes for no apparent reason.

Or you might fear condemnation and there seems to be nothing you can do about it.

The keys to unraveling this are one or more of

* Let go of the resistance. One way to do this is to feel the feeling associated with the resistance and then loving the feeling. You will be amazed at how effective this can be.

* Communicate with the people in the situation. Get yourself in a good mood before contacting the person / people. It might help to write out what you're going to say. There is no need to try to memorize this. The idea is to clarify your thinking. Then you can discuss the situation in a friendly manner. You might find that the person is helpful and comes up with solutions for you.

* Learn more about the area, e.g., get more training in the subject area so you can get more control.

* Pray. This isn't presenting a wish list to God. You can simply ask for God's help.

* Turn everything over to God. Be willing to accept whatever God sends your way.

* Put the situation in a different context. You might consider the situation to be a thrilling challenge.

* See what you can learn from the situation. Then move forward with your new knowledge.

If you keep doing one of more of the above on a regular basis, you'll expand the quality of your life. Why not give it a try?

Copyright 2006 by Jim Kitzmiller