Here’s a very common thing that gets a lot of people stressed: new things or something unfamiliar. Of course, this is relative for everyone and not every new thing will cause the same amount of stress. For example, my father loves maths and is more than happy to learn and solve new math problems like trigonometry and calculus. But give him a smart phone and tell him to figure out the features and he gets a frown that makes him look 15 years older; and he’ll get so irritated he’ll snap at you if you so much as say hello (I’m exaggerating a bit to get my point across, but it isn’t that far from the truth).
I’m the exact opposite; give me a new smartphone and I’m more than happy to explore and find out the new features. Give me a new complex math problem and well, let’s say I’ll be having nightmares about spear wielding numbers and being naked in a test room for days.
Other new things that do make me stressed out are usually work related stuff like a new organisation system or a new mode of payment or a new way of doing something just when I was getting used to the current way, that kind of stuff. I don’t get stressed by everything new but sometimes new things will get to me. Why? Simply because I don’t know what that thing is yet or how it works.
So the answer seems simple right? Just learn about the new thing and you won’t get stressed anymore. Yes, well all problems seem simple after they have been solved, but till then they seem like a huge obstacle, almost insurmountable, maybe with hidden thorns just waiting to pierce your skin and draw blood. Not a pretty picture, is it?
Of course, usually I learn more about it and it becomes less stressful than it actually was, but sometimes that’s not the case. Sometimes it becomes more stressful. Still, at the end of the day it is better to face your fears rather than cower and hide.
I just need to remember to take some deep breaths and keep an open mind. Heck if I can get a friend to tell me more about it then that’s even better.
Here’s to learning new things and not getting so stressed about it. Hopefully.
Alternative Yoga 