According to William James, “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” Dr. Mike Evans and the Evans Healthcare Labs created an accessible and entertaining video that explains both the how and the why. It really rewired how I understand stress and I guarantee it’s worth the eleven minutes.

Dr. Evans boils it down like this:

• Take a deep breath…
• Think about your big picture of commitment, your sense of control, your openness to change.
• Consider doing some homework on yourself: reframe your thinking, redirect your attention, maybe write a letter.
• Repeatedly the evidence shows that if people manage their stress well they have better health outcomes from virtually any disease they may suffer from.
• Remember the challenges will always be out there, that’s life. But remember too that your thoughts and your attitudes are the key holders for the stress that you experience, not the traffic, not your boss, but you. There’s something that you can improve, your thinking.

Thanks, James Maskell and Revive Primary Care for pointing the way!