What I Learned About Stress from a Palm Tree

By Ray Williams

It is said the traffic in Las Vegas is some of the most trying in the United States.
You have people from all over the country moving here monthly — all with different driving habits. Some of the antics you see when a newcomer misses their street, or is looking for one, is beyond comprehension. There is a very high DUI rate here. Cannabis became legal this year. Enough said on that and driving.

We have a very interesting desert sun in the late afternoon that causes you to literally be driving blind. All above gets exasperated when the summer heat soars to 114 degrees.
Now, add all of these factors to the icing on the cake: the traffic lights! So, imagine if you will, sitting at a light that can last three-and-a-half minutes with all of the above going on! The look on some of the drivers’ faces waiting for that little round circle to change color is priceless. I’ve seen people plead to it, yell, beg, pray, cry. I think I even saw one guy offer it money.

I think by now you are getting the drift about the lack of  fun driving here.
It brings up a very bantered-around topic: stress.
There is only so much here that can be said on the topic that has not been said before. I had an amazing  epiphany on the matter I now share with my hypnosis and coaching clients.

So, there I  was,  sitting at one of the infamous stress-laden traffic lights I have described. It was a rare event for Vegas — overcast and rainy.  The wind was blowing extremely hard. So, there I was, sitting at one of these red stress-makers laughing at my own expense.  I’m a hypnotist and deal with relieving people’s stress all of the time; and I am  wigging out at a light like everyone else. So much for enlightenment!

As I was sitting there, I noticed a palm tree. Being blown every which way but loose. But I also notice after each gust, the tree just returned to its  original position, unharmed.
Why is this? The palm tree is flexible. It is like it has an innate built-in choice just to go with the wind.

Then it hit me. What if I did just the same?  I know that I cannot do anything about a ridiculously long light except sit there. I have no control over the light but I do have control over something more powerful that the light. That’s my own mind.
What if I just made the conscious decision to  simply CHOOSE a memory of when I felt calm and peaceful?  Like being on the beach. Or, in the  mountains. And, what if I accompanied that brief encounter with the feeling of actually being there?

You know, we can play the same imagination game we did as kids.
And you know what?  It worked!  Instead of feeling that  awful depleting feeling, I felt calmer, neutral about the light and not wanting to it turn green. (Well sort of.) The powerful thing about a thought, too, is that each similar thought will build strength to the next similar thought. Try it. You can use this  in any situation you have to play the waiting  game. We  always can choose our own state of being.

Ray Williams is a professional hypnotist and life coach. You can contact him at [email protected].