Why Is It So Hard to Let Go of Stress?

This article was provided by Paula Oleska, who has helped over eight thousand people in five different countries, both individually and in groups, achieve never-imagined personal and business improvement. She is a neuro-behaviorist with a deep background in the mind-body connection. As a result of her unique background and her studies of the brain-mind-body connection, she created her proprietary system: Radical Rapid Results through Brain Upgrade®, and she is now providing these services to the business community.

Have you ever asked yourself that question? I did.

This is what I noticed: most people are using “tried and true” solutions offered by every stress relief expert. You have heard them all: 

  • Let go of stress
  • Relax
  • Breathe 
  • It’s not a life-and-death situation
  • And so on. 

Does this really help you let go of stress? You may feel better for a moment, but then the stress comes roaring back. 

And then you probably feel even more stressed because the guilt whispers:

  • Why is this not working for me? 
  • Why is it working for all of those other people? 
  • Is there something wrong with me? 

According to the experts, yes to all of that! They tell you:

  • You are not doing it right
  • You are not working hard enough
  • You are playing a victim
  • Etc.

Don’t listen to those people! If these methods don’t work for you, I want to reassure you that it’s not your fault! The experts don’t know what they are talking about. I learned it the hard way.

Years ago I was enamored of those techniques. I was working hard to be as positive as possible. At that time, I was living in a small rental building where a few tenants ganged up on me for no reason. They accused me of making noise and kept calling the police on me even when I was sitting still.

I worked on letting go of stress with everything I knew: I tried to be relaxed, think positively, and affirm that I was blessed and protected, etc. I prayed, meditated, forgave everyone, and blessed the situation. But I was eventually evicted. 

And the experts told me (you guessed it): I must have not been doing it right or not working hard enough.

But in my new apartment, I was physically tense and had trouble breathing. I tiptoed around for months, expecting to be attacked again. And no matter how much I tried to change it with those “positive techniques,” I just couldn’t “let go” of the stress and tension.

So I started to look for better solutions. And I eventually found them! 

Once I was able to help myself, I put many of those solutions together to create my Brain Upgrade® system and help many more people. In this article, I’ll share what I learned about what stress really is. 

The simple reason why you cannot just “let go” of the stress with the techniques you’ve been given is that stress is not in your head! 

Stress has been very well researched. Hans Selye, a medical doctor and researcher at McGill University in Montreal, described stress as a complex chain of specific physiological reactions. Stress causes your adrenal system to start producing adrenaline, the familiar jolt of energy. If the stressful stimulus is not removed after a short period of time, your adrenal system starts producing cortisol, a toxic chemical. The stress reaction affects your blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tone, and many other body functions.

Trying to “let go of stress” using mind-based techniques is like trying to control your blood pressure or heart disease with your mind. If you could do that, you would probably win the Nobel Prize! But that’s what the experts are telling you to do. Since stress is in your body, you need to do something physical to help your body. And it doesn’t have to be a strenuous physical activity!

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