The Cure for Economic Uncertainty, Stress & Anxiety

It is well understood that loss of jobs, houses, income and general uncertainty are creating massive worry and anxiety, triggering mental & emotional illness, shattering families, relationships and people’s self-esteem, self-confidence & self-image. As mentioned in last week’s success letter, the extreme stress, loss, sense of hopelessness and the perceived destruction of one’s self-worth has even resulted in many murder-suicides: husbands killing their family and then themselves.n nI have received an extraordinary amount of requests from clients, colleagues, readers and even friends for further help in dealing with this crisis and its consequences. nAccordingly, I have created a crucial hypnosis audio program which I am giving away as my way of giving back. The link to download it is further below.n nMany of the people writing to me for help complain that the current economy is creating extraordinary stress and anxiety, and it is destroying their self-esteem.n nSelf-esteem is primarily how much you like yourself. Self-esteem is made up of three key components: 1. How significant do you feel; 2. How capable do you feel, and; 3. How do you feel about yourself, about your self-image?n nIn other words, what emotions do you have about yourself, your self-worth and self-image? Are you suffering from sadness, guilt, blame, shame, bitterness, resentment, or some other emotional judgment? n nThe key to a healthy self-esteem is to be able to easily and openly identify all of your talents, skills, gifts, abilities, characteristics, and personality. That involves positive and negative traits.n nA healthy self-esteem does not mean being in denial nor does it mean ignoring your bad behavior or those things you need to correct, rectify, or work on. A healthy self-esteem is the ability to be objective about yourself without emotional judgment. A healthy self-esteem is about being able to accept and receive credit when credit is due.n nOn the other hand, a healthy self-esteem is not about false pride, arrogance, selfishness, or narcissism. Nor is it about beating yourself up when you’ve done something wrong. n nThe key, therefore, to a healthy self-esteem is about being calm and objective about all of your talents and gifts, but it’s also about separating yourself from all of the things that are outside of you.n nIn other words, what makes you who you are? n nToo many people’s self-worth and self-esteem is shattered because they attach all of their self-worth and self-esteem to things outside of them. Being able to openly and easily identify all of your talent, skills, abilities, and qualities gives you great power so that no matter what is happening outside of you, you can still feel good about yourself, knowing deep inside that you are so much more than a job, house, or career; realizing what is really important to you.n nAnd as you learn to redefine your priorities, then worry naturally dissipates; when your priorities have changed, there is less reason to worry. The significance of worrying is only to move us to take action. So instead of worrying, and wasting, or using up all of your energy, you can be economic with your emotional energy.n nSo, what are your priorities? What are your values? What is truly important to you?n nIt’s a common response for people to place high priority on financial success because some people seek security and stability. However, if that is your primary value, then worry, obsession, insecurity and doubt over the current crisis will easily lead to loss of status, shattered identity, feelings of failure, hopelessness and helplessness.n nI never tell people what they should value. Instead, I would ask you to imagine the following:n nYou are sitting on a porch, the sun is setting and slowly you rock back and forth on the chair. You feel as if it is almost time; you know your time is almost up. And as you sit there, watching the sun set, you think back over all of your life. For what are you grateful? And most of all, what do you regret?n nI can almost guarantee that your regrets will be for things you did not do – and not for the things you did.n nAnd so, will you wish you had amassed more things or will you wish you had spent more time with someone that you love? Will you wish you had spent more time working or more time loving someone special? Will you be grateful for all those moments of joy and happy relationships or will you be plagued with regret over the unhealed relationships and words of love you wish you had told someone? Will you feel fulfilled for the challenges you overcame and the legacy you left behind or will you be filled with deep regret for having given up and wasted your potential?n nWhen you decide who you are, what makes you who you are and what your priorities are, you will notice stress dramatically drop and you will feel better about yourself. n nIt is also critical to understand that the way you respond to these present challenges will enable you to rise above what others think about you or what you think you “should” be. It can also be an opportunity to find your real untapped strengths, resources and wisdom. Your response can make you stronger, more resourceful and even give you greater self-respect.n nOnly with a calm mind can you find the inner strength and solution to all of life’s challenges. Worry, fear, and doubt lead to negative imagination. However, when you do what is needed, you can let go of fear. And in my special audio download gift, I’ll help you to use your imagination to develop an objective view of the challenges and the type of reality you would like to create. It works on a subconscious level and will also dramatically slash your stress.