Most people suffer stress for much longer than they need to. There are ways to actively face your challenges and deal with them. Often stress is caused by lack of information. Being un-informed when facing a challenge can leave us feeling overwhelmed and unable to solve it.

If you have an issue bothering you, it is your minds' way of saying "You do not have enough information yet to come up with a solution." So this is where you begin to investigate the situation and possible options.

Below are some tips below to help you make these steps successfully. After doing this a few times, you will soon find that you face challenges in a positive light with a much higher success rate.

Avoid gossip

People who gossip, never do it for good reasons and no good can come of it. 90% of it is based upon hearsay and opinion. This is not a suitable source of information. Of course, you may have a friend who comes to you with information in an attempt to help you. This is different to gossip. A gossip will often talk to everyone BUT the person involved. If a friend comes to you with an issue (whether you believe it or not) thank them and tell them you will take it into consideration and then you can take your time judging the situation involved and plan how you wish to deal with it, calmly.

Use facts and figures

Never assume. This is different to not trusting your instincts. You need to trust your instincts because they are there to guide you. Unfortunately in moments of upset, it can be hard to differentiate between them and fearful thoughts. For example, if someone tells you that your boyfriend is cheating on you, it would be a normal reaction to be upset, but you will also want to ensure that it is true before you go accusing him.

Research

A lot of situations can arise suddenly and they can leave you unprepared. These can be the most difficult of events to deal with stress-wise. Say for example, if you are suddenly left without a home. Do not allow this to overwhelm you. That will only make your mind fog up and give you fewer solutions. There is always an answer. Look for it. Take a few moments, take a deep breath. Stay calm and know that an answer is out there. You only need to look for it.

If you do not know where to go for assistance or advice, ask everyone and anyone you can. Even if you are completely alone, you will always be able to find charity organisations or government sections where the people can help to guide you.

Make Lists

This is one of the simplest tools in giving your mind peace and yet few people use it. To understand why this is so effective, think of your mind as an organic computer:

• It takes in Data (information from all of your senses)
• Processes it using the formulas you have programmed into it (experiences, ethics, beliefs, fears, facts)
• Finds a solution (A conclusion and what action to take)

Normally this is fairly easy, but you will have times where not all of the information will come to mind immediately. As with any computer, some functions take longer to perform and the more complex, upsetting or difficult your stressor or challenge is, the more work it will take from you to help your organic computer find a solution.

The best way to do this is to make a list of options. Before doing this, you should have already looked up any information or facts needed by asking people around you, calling organisations etc. as mentioned earlier and be prepared to make your list

.

Start out by writing down all the options you know about. Then, throw out all barriers or boundaries to the question and add the options you were going to or wanted to, but decided not to for whatever reason. This is merely a list of 'possibles' and you need to write down ALL the options you can think of so your brain knows it is okay to release the ones you have not yet thought of. This may sound odd, but your subconscious can hold back and you need to give it permission to go crazy in these circumstances. Brainstorm then and add even more to the list.

This process will lead you on a path of learning and by the time you've done this list, you may have some questions or thoughts which can lead to even more possible options for your list. When you have finished, put the list down and take a break. Depending upon the time you have to find a solution, come back later and add to the list whenever new options come to mind. Whether you choose to return an hour or a day later, make sure you come back to the list so you have given the mind time to digest and process the information. Re-read your list and add any new ideas that come to mind. When you're done, it is time to choose an option or even several.

By list making you have done two major things to assist your mind in coming to a conclusion:

1. The mind takes in the written word better than just thinking about it and this process puts it down in an orderly fashion that your organic pc understands, letting it absorb the information better. This helps you to come up with more options.
2. You gave your mind a break. Rather than making it juggle all the details, you let it pour out the information in front of it so it could more easily process the data ensuring that you have ALL the options in front of you instead of just a few thought up in haste.

How to choose an option

The only thing you may need to know now is how to choose which option to take. There is only ever one answer to this:

Choose the right option. By that I mean the option that is the right thing to do rather than for example, the easy thing to do. The easy option always brings more difficulty later. No matter what situation you are in, always solve it with dignity and honour. Your solution should never involve revenge, dishonesty, criminal acts or anything of the like. For the result to be positive, your solution must be free of guilt and conscience. Do what is right for you - come out of this situation an even better person and feeling proud of yourself for having conquered one more of lifes challenges.

Good luck!