We are living in a fast-paced world where innovation has brought about great advances in technology in just about every area of our lives. Some of that technology saves lives, some enhances our lives and all of it limits our lives.

Most people consider stress to be a negative force in life but stress is as essential a part of positive change as it is associated with changes that are negative. All good things come with a price but the price is not always that visible to us. Take for instance the advent of getting a new job. Perhaps we are moving onward and upward for promotional, salary, a career change or just because we were treated poorly in our last employment. No matter! Even with the promise of better things to come, any change in our lives produces stress that we call positive stressors and this stress can affect us in other areas of our lives without our even realizing it.

The adjustment that we need to make in starting a new job or career change takes a great deal of what I call innovative energy. It can be like starting all over. Meeting new people, learning a new position, finding our niche within the new company, adjusting to either a new boss or a new staff and even a significant pay increase can all take their toll. It can be very exciting but at the same time, we need to realize that the changes and adjustments that we need to make can affect other elements of our lives like our primary relationships with our families, our leisure time, our spending habits, needing to work out new budgets, our socialization patterns and many others as well. We call this the carryover effect and this phenomenon often goes unnoticed by most people.

If we can keep in mind that maintaining balance is the key to managing stress, the negative effects of those positive stressors can be avoided and/or dealt with promptly without any ramifications. Then we can enjoy the changes that weve invited as well as all of the good perks that go along with those changes. Listen to those who love you. Remember its not what you do but who you are that is most important. Dont get lost in a new job. A job is a means to an end and not an end in and of itself. Be smart up front instead of having to look back with regret!

Charles Bonasera

Charles M. Bonasera had been a practicing psychotherapist since 1962 and has served as a Consultant, Mediator, Author and Workshop Presenter since 2003. Based on years of extensive research he became a Stress Management expert and founded/ directed the Stress Management Center which evaluated and treated stress-related problems. As President of Personal Identity Controls, he developed and produced a number of interactive materials on various stress-related topics to enable people to take greater control their lives.Charles produced the CD/workbook entitled ?Guide To A Life Management Process? which helps people recognize and manage their stress more effectively. His Workshops and consultations with businesses, corporations and schools, stresses the recognition that our greatest resource is people and treating them with dignity and respect promotes productivity. His role as a keynote speaker mixes his professional wisdom with practical solutions and a sense of humor.

Based on his previous experience as an evaluator of learning disabilities, he began rendering Workshops to school districts in 1995. His goal was to help educators recognize the importance of incorporating principles of mental health in the classroom. His Workshop and Consulting roles dealt with issues such as anger and stress management, developing reasonable expectations, belligerent behavior, case study workshops, parent-teacher relationships, reducing anxiety to facilitate the learning process, problem solving techniques and the practical components of healthy, happy relationships. Many of these same topics were incorporated into general audience workshops as well.

Charles? methods center around helping people develop ?alternative ways to happiness.? His problem-solving techniques are practical and interactive enabling people to make their own choices in their own individual style and time-frame.. His approach clearly embodies the philosophy that ?the greatest learning we experience is when we don?t know we?re learning and are having fun? and that learning is both an intellectual and emotional process.