WHEN have you ever not felt harassed, hassled and hurried? Most likely you would say, “Never.”
If you consider yourself hyper, then this information is for you. Truthfully, it may even seem like a personal reminder to myself. So let’s do this together, shall we?
“Stop stressing” is a common advice to workaholics and Type A personalities. And yet, without stress, super achievers, doers and proactive individuals would not feel challenged. It’s as though the adrenaline rushing through one’s body is a familiar and much-needed companion.
Modern life is challenging, and it is full of frustration as well as fulfillment.
While stress, when kept within your own comfort zone, isn’t a bad thing, allowing it to go beyond your tolerance levels can be dangerous. In this case, life can become overwhelming.
Before it wreaks serious havoc on your health and relationships, let’s try to understand it better. Stress is simply the way your own body responds to any kind of pressure, demand or threat.
Here’s what happens:
When you feel threatened in any way, your nervous system immediately reacts by releasing stress hormones called cortisol and adrenaline.
The result: faster heartbeat, muscle tightening/stiffening, rise in blood pressure and rapid breathing. You are now in a zone called “fight or flight.” This specific moment keeps you alert, agile, active and extremely focused.
Stress can make the “super hero/heroine” in you do great deeds—or it could go the other way and bring out the beast in you.
For example, athletes need stress hormones to keep them attuned to the goal at hand.
How does the brain regulate the nervous system in times of stress? In short, how do you, in the midst of the pressure, find calm?
1) Connecting personality
Because the brain is connected to your eyes, ears, face and heart, sight and touch contact are the best ways to allay your fears.
Pretty pictures: Look at beautiful scenery, go to a garden or park, walk in a forest, sit by a waterfall or by the seashore.
Talk therapy: Talk to someone close to you. By airing your problem to a sympathetic person, you can bring down your stress levels.
Self-control
2) Taking action
When interpersonal connection isn’t good enough, you will respond, either in a defensive or non-offensive way, by stepping out of the situation.
By no means does it mean you are defeated when you “stand down.” Actually, you place yourself in self-control mode. When you decide not to be sucked into the vortex of negativity, you have chosen the wiser path.
3) Stunned into action
According to helpguide.org, this is the immobilization phase. The more common term is to become “traumatized.” This is when imbalance takes over.
Know the signs
It is the small daily frustrations that can erode your inner sense of equanimity—traffic jams, a pile of bills, office workload, etc.
Unregulated, unmanaged stress can cause physical pain, heart disease, indigestion and stomach problems like ulcers, depression, sleeplessness, weight problems, auto-immune diseases, skin conditions, loss of sexual appetite, moodiness, loneliness, poor judgment, excessive worrying, inability to concentrate, nervous ticks (nail-biting, mouth twitching, etc.)
To do list:
Stop whatever it is you are doing.
Sit down.
Breathe slowly.
Try not to worry.
Listen to relaxing music.
Go on vacation.
Sip relaxing tea.
Supplement with St. John’s Wort, melatonin (for good sleep, magnesium, vitamin B)
Be with happy people.
Create a peaceful corner in your home.
Shut off your electronic gadgets for one day.
Have a power nap.
Go for a massage.
Exercise and sweat it out— dance the night and the fear away.
Eat feel-good food including dark chocolate (65-percent cacao content), which is a mood fixer.
Have a milkshake, salmon, banana, coconut, lentils, eggs, kale, ginger tea, nuts, quinoa, goji berries, and asparagus.
Make it a habit to do a daily affirmation. When you declare it, positive vibrations surround you.
This week’s affirmation: “I am bliss.”
Love and light!
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