The Main Cause of Stress

I'd like to suggest there is a deeper cause of stress that would address all the main causes of stress at once. You may disagree with me and feel free to comment.

The main cause of stress is doing what you are not meant to do.

I picked up this idea many years ago when I was studying world religions and philosophies. It comes from the Buddhist concept of Right Livelihood The main cause of stress and anxiety is doing what is unnatural; doing what you know down deep you are not meant to do.

Most sites that discuss the main cause of stress will tell you that, if your job is giving you stress, you need to either learn to manage that stress or find another job. What I am saying is that unless you are doing something you love, you should find a way to do it, even if it requires you to create your own business.

The stress that comes from not having enough money to do what you want to do is caused, in part, by working for someone else. Whenever you work a "job", you MUST receive less than the net profit your work creates for your employer. So working for others is a recipe for receiving less than you are actually worth, whatever your skills.

So, the real main cause of stress in your life is that you have chosen an occupation that is not your dream job usually and is not the "highest and best use" of your talents.

Now, I know that many people don't want the responsibility of owning and managing their own business. That is their choice. (I doubt any of those folks are reading this, anyway.)

What I'm saying is that if you want to overcome the main cause of stress, you need to get in control of your life to the fullest extent possible. There is a feeling of freedom and exhilaration that comes from taking charge of your life and finding a way to do the work that excites you.

Most people aren't willing to put in the effort to learn what they need to learn to be successful in business. They would rather someone else do the work of thinking and planning and organizing necessary to build a profitable business, but this leaves the employees generally dealing with the stress of too little money, too little time with their family, and not being in control of their own life.

This is why the rich get richer and those who work for the rich get stressed out, in most cases. Getting back to Buddha's Right Livelihood, there is more to learn about the causes of stress. A perfect example would be a young person choosing to join the military in some capacity because the pay for combat duty is lucrative and there is a promise of a free education to get a good job. What many find is that they are exposed to situations where they are forced to kill others, sometimes women and children, and they develop post-traumatic stress disorder.

This is because it is inherently wrong to kill. Down deep, we all know this. Our religious teachings tell us, "Thous shalt not kill," in the Judeo-Christian faith. Nevertheless, we are given convincing reasons by our leaders and many of us give in to doing what we know is wrong.

My point is not to get into a long and involved philosophical BS session, but simply to use the military as an example of how we voluntarily submit ourselves to be told by others to do what we don't believe in.

Even when we had a military draft, no one could force anyone to fight. There were plenty of other avenues available to avoid doing what God/Cosmic Law/Human Nature finds repugnant.

The ultimate question when it comes to the main cause of stress is, "Who is in charge of your life?"

If stress is making you unhappy, you need to find a way to get back in control of all aspects of your life: Your work, your income, your weight, your health.

Stress Can Cause Weight Gain

Again, you may say my point of view is unrealistic, but it works.

I'm not saying anything original here. I learned it from the people we say are our greatest spiritual teachers and philosophers -- and they all say more or less the same thing:

If you want to solve any problem, you must attack it at the root.

For example, if stress in your life is "making" you eat too much, you must figure out where the stress is coming from and DO SOMETHING about it.

No, I wouldn't advise getting a prescription for a tranquilizer, though that's the usual solution the medical/pharmaceutical cartel recommends(because that's how they make their money).

You need to solve your problem, whether it is unhappiness with the pressure and people you have chosen to work with, or not having enough time or money to do the things you want to do, or whatever.

The best way to get more money is to find a business venture you can be passionate about, that you are good at, and that offer you the benefit of "leverage", either off the use of technology(like the Internet) or the services of others.

You also need to know how much money you want and -- this is critical -- that the business you choose has the realistic potential to provide the income you desire, if you do what it required.

Having the freedom to choose how you will spend your time, having more money than you can easily spend, and surrounding yourself with people you like to work with -- these things will make your life more stress-free. It is your real purpose in life to set up your life to make your greatest contribution to others.

Relieving the main cause of your stress and living on a plant-based, whole foods diet will solve the problem of excess weight.

How Your Main Cause of Stress Can Lead To Overeating