Why Use It
Each and every one of us moves through
our daily work/life with many unsolved problems. Some are unsolved because we
believe they are not important, or we just don’t have the time to solve them. However, accumulating unsolved problems contributes greatly
to increased levels of stress. And, one of the biggest causes for ineffective
thinking is having an excessive amount of anxiety and stress in our lives
The first Task (and sometimes half the
battle) in gaining control of work/life is to list and clearly identify the
problems or events that produce anxiety and stress. In developing this list,
the problems/stressors that felt vague and confusing are transformed into
discreet and identifiable subjects. This list can be evaluated to determine corrective
actions.
How to Use It
Use the worksheet on the next page to
identify unresolved problems and stress events. Record all problems both small
and large.
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Task |
Action |
Guideline |
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1 |
List
Unresolved Problems |
A problem is something
that requires some form of action and change on your part. |
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2 |
List
Stressors |
Make a list of all your
current life situations that trigger anxiety. Include any stressful events
that you are likely to encounter in the relatively near term. Be specific;
include the setting and the people involved. Get as close to 10-15 items on
your list as possible. Let them run the gamut from very mild discomfort to
your most dreaded experience. Examples
might be stress from dental visits, public speaking, paying bills, taking
tests, down on yourself, etc. |
|
3 |
Grouping |
Group all the stressors.
You will probably discover that you have very few problems but lots of
symptoms of the same one. |
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4 |
Rank |
Analyze the problems and
stress events sections then rank them. |
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5 |
Resolution |
Now that you have
identified key problems/stressors begin finding ways to resolve them.
Particularly look for ways to handle people or factors that are common to
multiple problems. |
Putting Problems on
the Table
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Identify
the problems or events that produce anxiety and stress. |
Discomfort
level (Rank
order, 1 = least, 10= highest discomfort) |
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Unresolved
Problems |
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Stressful
Events |
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Resolution: Be specific on
how your action plan can handle or resolve problems or stressful events. Generalities will not solve anything. |
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