It is easy to fall into a "rut" of seeing only the negative when you are stressed. Some people have spent years "turning gold into garbage - the Midas touch in reverse." When someone says "That's a nice outfit" the "garbage collector" questions whether that person "really means it."
Your thoughts can become like a pair of very dark glasses, allowing little light or joy into your life. What would happen if each day for the next three days, you committed yourself to actively collecting (noticing) five "pieces of gold" from your environment?
Pieces of gold are positive or enjoyable moments or interactions. These may seem like small events but as these "pieces of gold" accumulate they can often provide a big lift to energy and spirits and help you begin to see things in a new, more balanced way.
Stress Management material was adapted from:
1. "Plain Talk about Handling Stress," by Louis E. Kopolow, M.D. A DHHS Publication No. 87-502, 1987; 2. "Stress Management Strategies for the College Student." McKinley Health Center (n.p., n.d.); 3. "Stress Management." Information from SUNYB Counseling Center, Division of Student Affairs, State University of New York at Buffalo. Source for "stress signals.; 4. Ryan, R. & Travis, J.: The Wellness Workbook (1981). Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. Source for "Pieces of Gold" and "turning gold into garbage-the Midas touch in reverse," p. 172.
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