Stress Stimulating Situations

If there is one situation that I would say stimulates an abundant amount of stress, it would be busy and large parking lots. Like Sam's Club on a Saturday afternoon. There is people with enormous grocery carts- few at a time, inpatient pedestrians, inattentive drivers; the entire lot is a generator of chaos. It is a place of activity that is ripe for potential accidents. It is a position of hazard. Yet, it is something that most, Americans that I know any way, find themselves a part of. They too, are contributors to the derangement of the parking lot. Us, vulnerable little beings, find our way into these times of utter peril. But what for? In order to get enough food for the evening party? Of the class fundraiser? The super bowl? Whatever have you, the risk is worth it apparently, considering the circumstances.

Why do we put ourselves in stressful situations? Unless you're one who considers them self able to handle the madness, then I would assume it wouldn't make much of a difference whether it would be classified as a stressful situation or not. Yet, most people don't come off as ones to handle the stress of certain situations. They become rude, inconsiderate, and care about only what they need to do, those are ones that I think plant the little seed of chaos. And it spreads faster than any wild fire or contagious disease known to man. It is possible to be in a busy place, to be efficient, and get things done in a timely manner without causing stress. I think it is a choice that one has to make. (This kind of falls back on the whole being in control of emotions idea.)

True, stressful situations aren't necessarily always avoidable, nor containable. Those are the times that we need to find ourselves in the utter most control of our reactions and not just go off of instinct. The initial instinct of one would lead to anxiety, and anxiety is a state that is the exact opposite of being relaxed.

Yet, how and why is it so difficult for us to just stay calm in a basket case of a place? How do we not acknowledge that getting upset because of a situation is not going to make it better? It seem like common sense doesn't it? The idea of making a situation better is to first make one's self better first. I don't think its possible to generate peace in a stressful situation when one isn't at peace them self. It comes off as being hypocritical. Which would in fact just lead to more frustration and distortion.

(Ironically enough I'm listening to "everything will be alright" by the killers while I'm writing this. And yes, my ipod is on shuffle, a sheer act of fate I would have to say. )

Now, as I mentioned before, one can't avoid stressful situations, they might even cause themselves some stress just trying to avoid it. But I don't think avoiding stress to the key to handling it. I think it's the perspective one needs in order to decide for them self that they don't need to be getting upset. If we all can just come to conclusion that getting frustrated about something isn't going to make it any better, maybe stressful situations would lessen, or become less of a stressful situation. Yet, as everything is, it is easier said then done.