Unrealistic Expectations

Much of our stress in life is caused by our own unrealistic expectations. Many of these expectations are quite silly when examined in the open. But they often lurk in the background of our thinking, causing mischief and stress in ways that one may not always be consciously aware of.

Take the common experience of frustration associated with computers. Much of this frustration comes from expecting ourselves or our computers to function perfectly all the time. While this is a laudable goal, it is not very realistic. The file worked on may have appeared to disappear. (It is usually still there-somewhere.) Heavy traffic on the on-line service may cause a system slow down just when the system performance had to be optimum.

In the computer world, there are many opportunities to become upset with other people. Some people may not respond in a timely manner (or at all) to e-mail messages. Others will send unsolicited e-mail or will flame for making a beginner's mistake. And then there are all the vendors, sales people, repair technicians, tech support people and many others who repeatedly fail to live up to one's personal standards for how people should behave.