Let's Talk About Stress Reduction and Holidays!
Good morning, followers!
I've been busy taking a new class (surprise, surprise) on Transformation Academy called "Soft Skills Life Coaching" taught by Joeel and Natalie Rivera. Today, with the holiday season, I'd love to talk to you about the topic of "stress reduction".
First let's talk about the "stress effect".
- Imagine you take a walk and trip. There's a "mild reaction". You do recover quickly.
- Now, this time, imagine you're walking 2 feet away from the edge of a "cliff" and you trip! You become terrified and your body goes into a complete panic!
- Now, this time imagine a time where things are going pretty well for you and someone you love left dishes on the table, or you were stuck in traffic. These are "mild irritants".
- Now this time, imagine you have had a horrible day at work, you've been sick all day, your back is hurting, you're behind on your bills, and you walk in your bathroom in your socks, and step into a puddle left by your spouse or kid left on the floor (yet again after countless reminders) after his or her shower. Stem begins to blow out of your ears, and you restrain yourself (or don't), from screaming like a banshee.
The difference in your REACTION in each case was the difference in the level of that the STRESSOR affected you. The stressor didn't change in intensity.... you were closer to that CLIFF!!!!
The reality is that stress affects us in both our emotions and body. Stress from work, family, traffic, and environmental pollutants all each add another layer of stress. dealing with feelings of uncertainty or insecurity creates an undercurrent of stress, and then throughout the day as additional stressors are faced, you begin to feel weighed down, overwhelmed, frustrated, and develop a sensitivity to each stressor that's added. You become edgy, stressed out, and anxious! Looking at our bodies and how they are equipped to the stress response: they become bombarded by an assault of stress hormones, increases high blood pressure, thus putting us our bodies in a less-than-optimal state, impacting our health, heart, digestion, energy levels, and depleting our reserves, which further adds to our stress through our now ailing bodies. All of these stress sources accumulate what's known as a "stress-effect" in the body, which eventually leads to dis-ease.
So, what can you personally about it? Back off from the CLIFF!!!!! Actively practice techniques to reduce your stress.
Now let's look at what's known as "venting" and other stress techniques:
- Let's look at the stress balloon activity to relieve stress:
- Next let's look at the difference between venting and talking:
When you're stressed or anxious, it can be tempting to talk to someone. The majority of people spend their social time complaining about their personal stressors. But the problem with this is:
1. Most people don't really express their feelings. They're complaining on a surface level, therefore, masking what's really going on.
2. Talking about it really makes it worse because it gives the stressors more time and attention. EX: If had a stressful day at work, complaining at the bar over cocktails for 2 hours just added 2 hours to your crappy workday.
3. Most of the time the people they talk to either feed the fear or take it as an opportunity to vent about their own stressors, competing to see whose stressors are worse.
https://sharonshahaf.com/venting/In contrast, venting it solely for the purpose of "getting it out". Rather than holding your stress, fear, or anxiety inside (which can increase your pressure or push you to the edge of the cliff), venting or expressing how you feel helps you reduce your stress. Here are 2 ways to vent:
1. Self-express your feelings: Vent to yourself out loud or in front of a mirror. You can also choose to do it silently or write it down. Then acknowledge to yourself how you feel by saying "I understand. I'm glad you expressed to me how you feel, Thanks for sharing."
2. Express your feelings with a trusted support person: Before you vent, make sure you tell the person you're venting to that you're venting for the purpose of letting it out and not "asking for advice" or "trying to solve a problem". Make sure your person is okay with that. Pick someone who is supportive, not CRITICAL. Pick someone who won't be dramatic or try to compete with you with their own stories. Pick a good listener. If you don't have a friend or family member who can play this role for you, consider seeking a counselor, life coach, or a support group for support (remember most support group focus on complaining than venting).
Here are additional tips for stress reduction:
- Start a gratitude practice like journaling. By focusing on what's going right and appreciating it helps put you in a better mental/emotional state. This will make you less susceptible to stress.
- Spend time doing what you love, relaxing, or focusing on activities that get you into a state of flow.
- Distance or remove yourself from stressors whenever you possibly can. Are there people, places, or situations in your life that cause you stress that you can either step away from or minimize?
- Make those changes you've been putting off that have been nagging at you and hanging over your head. Then there is one less thing to worry about!
- Explore stress reduction programs, such as yoga, massage, and acupuncture.
- Learn a "skilled relaxation" process, such as meditation, and practice it for 20 minutes per day
Holiday Stress Reduction Tips:
Coming from parents who had high-stress, these practices are life-long for me. I've seen such a change in myself with yoga(Yoga with Adrienne) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaPp5jr--xo or guided meditations like Emma Mcadam's "Therapy in a Nutshell" https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=best+stress+reduction+youtube+videos&mid=E7CCC62D1A14EA0AE0B0E7CCC62D1A14EA0AE0B0&FORM=VIRE
Stress Less, Flow More,
Peace, Love, and Gratitude,
Laura
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