Reduce Stress in Your Life With The Art of Listening
7896
Self Improvement > Stress Management
Mar 1, 2007
Abbas Abedi
Reduce Stress in Your Life With The Art of Listening
Everyone has a story to tell. However, not everyone may be willing to listen. Sometimes, we are amazed - in an unpleasant way ? over the fact that we have not been paying attention to the one speaking to us. At some point along the story, our mind has wandered off, and we only drift back to reality when suddenly asked, ?Are you still listening??
That would be most unfortunate, since next to our visual skills, our ability to listen allows us to reap various benefits. If we listen to our mentor as he shares with us useful thoughts on life, we become good apprentices. If we listen to our professor as he lectures about the day?s lesson, we become good students. If we listen to our boss as he explains the rationale of the company?s recent policy, we become good employees. If we listen to our parents as they advise us regarding career choices, we become good sons/daughters. If we listen to a friend in dire need of unloading his troubles, we become good friends.
In short, listening is vital in developing good human relationships.
To maximize our listening capability, here are a few tips.
1. Focus. It is but a single word, but its message conveys far more. Being focused means paying attention, and a lot of it at that. It means temporarily forgetting about other matters of consequence and lending a few minutes of your time to hear someone speak his mind out. It means giving interest to whatever it is that the speaker might want to say. It is taking his words seriously into consideration in whatever decision we are to make. It is placing his story in the context of his emotions, and trying to understand him within the events occurring in his life.
2. Watch out for non-verbal cues. The message need not always lie on the words, but also in movements that the speaker makes. If we also pay good attention to the speaker?s eyes, facial expressions, and gestures, we will be able to receive the message in totality. Moreover, if the speaker realizes that we are sincerely listening, we are boosting his confidence.
3. Be sensitive. A good measure of sensitivity is also essential to maintain enthusiasm in the part of the person speaking. If the person is at the peak of his emotions, do not interrupt. After all, if someone is extremely angry or anguished, it will be a form of catharsis to remain patient until he has calmed down. Unless the person is already causing bodily harm, it will do him well to let him be purged of his bad feelings.
4. Show unconditional openness. We may not always agree with what someone has to say, but being there to listen may be the least we can offer. While we may have different opinions about several issues, keeping our horizons wide is a healthy attitude. With these perspectives in listening, we become open to a world of unlimited learning and diverse experiences.
That would be most unfortunate, since next to our visual skills, our ability to listen allows us to reap various benefits. If we listen to our mentor as he shares with us useful thoughts on life, we become good apprentices. If we listen to our professor as he lectures about the day?s lesson, we become good students. If we listen to our boss as he explains the rationale of the company?s recent policy, we become good employees. If we listen to our parents as they advise us regarding career choices, we become good sons/daughters. If we listen to a friend in dire need of unloading his troubles, we become good friends.
In short, listening is vital in developing good human relationships.
To maximize our listening capability, here are a few tips.
1. Focus. It is but a single word, but its message conveys far more. Being focused means paying attention, and a lot of it at that. It means temporarily forgetting about other matters of consequence and lending a few minutes of your time to hear someone speak his mind out. It means giving interest to whatever it is that the speaker might want to say. It is taking his words seriously into consideration in whatever decision we are to make. It is placing his story in the context of his emotions, and trying to understand him within the events occurring in his life.
2. Watch out for non-verbal cues. The message need not always lie on the words, but also in movements that the speaker makes. If we also pay good attention to the speaker?s eyes, facial expressions, and gestures, we will be able to receive the message in totality. Moreover, if the speaker realizes that we are sincerely listening, we are boosting his confidence.
3. Be sensitive. A good measure of sensitivity is also essential to maintain enthusiasm in the part of the person speaking. If the person is at the peak of his emotions, do not interrupt. After all, if someone is extremely angry or anguished, it will be a form of catharsis to remain patient until he has calmed down. Unless the person is already causing bodily harm, it will do him well to let him be purged of his bad feelings.
4. Show unconditional openness. We may not always agree with what someone has to say, but being there to listen may be the least we can offer. While we may have different opinions about several issues, keeping our horizons wide is a healthy attitude. With these perspectives in listening, we become open to a world of unlimited learning and diverse experiences.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
By Abbas Abedi?To make all aspect of life easier you might take a look at my blog stress---management.blogspot.com title="Stress Management">Stress Management
Write a Review
Add to My Favorite
Refer it to Friend
Report Article
Other links owned by this user
Experts agree that one best way to manage stress is through exercise. Exercise has been proven to relax the body and mind, burn fat, improve cardiovascular system, bring in more oxygen, reduce the chance of diseases, lower blood pressure and the list
Category:
Perhaps the most common and simplest form of reducing stress is to take a vacation. Nothing can work better for dealing with stress than to remove yourself completely form the source of it all together. Planning a vacation is the simplest way to do
Category:
One of the ways that you can recognize your goals and start to strive towards meeting them, is by using coaching techniques. Coaching can be essential part of communicating with yourself and the people in your life. When you enter into the coaching
Category:
Everybody gets the blues once in a while. It?s normal to feel sad on a rainy day, get sentimental over a lost love, or feel so terribly lonely during really low moments of your life. But once depression gets out of hand, it can wreak havoc
Category:
When it comes to your overall mental health, stress is the biggest lem that most of face. It is also the biggest reason for many health lems that we face daily. Most of don?t even understand that stress can be the major cause of major health
Category:
When most of us think about our bodies and dealing with stress it is mostly just in terms of losing weight. Our weight is what we use to define our bodies these days. Food is the key to boosting your self esteem as well as reducing stress. Food should
Category:
Alernaive mehods o dealing wih sress can be a very difficul decision o make for mos people. Visions of new age robes and crysals can fill your head o he poin where i jus doesn? seem realisic. Herbal remedies like Echinacea have been in
Category:
Everyone has a story to tell. However, not everyone may be willing to listen. Sometimes, we are amazed - in an unpleasant y ? over the fact that we have not been paying attention to the one speaking to us. At some point along the story, our mind has
Category:
Mental ealt issues tat are caused by stress can range from omicidal or oter violent acts towards oneself or drive oters to addictions. Te range of mental ealt disorders tat are stress related is so broad tat it can be difficult to understand
Category:
The topic of stess has been the object of contovesy in ecent decades due to the vaious ways to administe it. Thee ae diffeent ways fo diffeent cultues. Whee the Hindus have yoga the Japanese have Zen. Both of these methods ae excellent in
Category:
Many of us would wish for money, lots of it! Don?t we all want to be rich? It is everybody?s dream. For some people, getting rich is one of life?s ultimate goals. Many make the mistake of using money to define them as a person.
Category:
As the gvernment ffers grants fr almst any reasn, it is perhaps the business grant that is the mst ppular and useful. Many peple try t begin their wn business every year and many mre nly hld the knwledge f hw t d s, but ut f a lack
Category:
One of the more fascinating measures taken for stress relief can be had with an art therapy. With so many different forms of therapy today it's tough to know which are the most effective for which condition, but art therapy enjoys great success in
Category:
Did you know that the antidote for snakebite contains the same venom from the snake? In the world of alternative medicine, the branch that deals with the natural healing process is called homeopathy. The notion behind its healing power is
Category:
Picture yourself sipping an ice-cold soda and lounging on a hammock. Visualize squishing your toes in powder white sand and enjoying the aquamarine view, uninterrupted by the gentle waves. Imagine a life without worries, deadlines, or
Category:
Women experience more stress than They are more active than ever before and have far more to do in the process of a day than ever before. With all of the things to do, there is even more stress to deal with. Women need stress relief more than
Category:
Other links at Self Improvement > Stress Management
Stress is becoming pervasive in modern life. We are now finding that stress causes many diseases that can affect our life style. Stress damages our mental peace and physical fitness. Quiz yourself and find out if you are an expert at fighting
Category:
Learn about some signs that stress is having a negative effect of you and you need help.
Category:
Stress overload can cause serious health issues if left unchecked. The body is not designed to handle a constant battle against stressors. While a little stress can help your body cope with everyday pressures, too much can cause a myriad of health and emo
Category:
Some of the best things in life are not free. But boy, are they worth it!
Category:
Okay, I hear you! Not another so called stress management course at work where someone can bore me to death! Been there done that. No! This are just some great tips that you can easily apply during your time at work to deal with some of those annoying str
Category:
Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics
Articles: 68205
Categories: 501
Yahoo Entertainment
