Soothing Stress and Anxiety

When it comes to a stressful life we are often led to believe it’s just the way things are or we are somehow not enough if we cannot handle the stressful lifestyle. What’s really going sometimes feels like the frog in the pot metaphor.

If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will of course frantically try to clamber out. But if you place it gently in a pot of tepid water and turn the heat on low, it will float there quite placidly. As the water gradually heats up, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly like one of us in a hot bath, and before long, with a smile on its face, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death.

Version of the story from Daniel Quinn‘s The Story of B

Accepting the demands placed on us with out our conscious reflection of what is going on can eventually fry us or as the metaphor goes -boil us to death.

Stress and Your Health Risks:

Stress carries very real and quantifiable health risks. The AMA has estimated that 80{0d9774446e5c1c486b14bfd00f317fb53ff44ec6f4ca4ad04b1a0b82436e9f13} of illness is stress related. The risks are both mental and physical here are three types:

Daily stress from our work family and mundane responsibilities of daily living.
Sudden jarring change including illness ours or a loved ones), divorce/separation loss of job or income
Trauma experienced through events such as war, accidents, natural disasters, being assaulted with the danger of losing one’s life.

Our responses to these types of stress are individual and the small daily stress response may be the hardest to recognize –an therefore treat– as it may be coped with well at first but the culminating effects are also damaging.

Early signs

Stress is built up when it is not recognized . Taking the time to assess our stress levels and coping skills can help us reduce or prevent the negative effects.

Feeling of overwhelm.
Coping with life by using drugs, alcohol, food or screens.
Changes in sleep quantity or quality, low energy, lack of ambition.
Ruminating thoughts.
Fears and compulsions.
Avoiding situations and people.
Increasing self-criticism.
Emotions gone wild.

Interventions

Make connections with supportive people/groups and ask for their time and help.
Eliminate unnecessary tasks and commitments.
Be self-compassionate by seeing all that you do accomplish and handle on a daily basis vs what is left undone.
Set a specific time to do your worrying or a journal to write out the worry and then drop it.
Give yourself permission to not do anything –to just be for a certain amount of time.
Regular gentle exercise like walking, taiji, yoga, stretching for the relaxation of it.
Check out other relaxing activities like coloring, doodling, sketching, knitting, playing an instrument etc just for the fun of it.
Get outside help and support if family and friends are not quite enough.

We are amazing dynamic beings in earthly physical bodies. Bodies that will let us know when we are reaching our limits…we do need to take the time and the space to listen to the messages from our bodies and act accordingly. In this fast paced world with our private and personal time being squeezed out by technology it is our own responsibility to claim our space and hold our boundaries firm. Our health and well-being and that of our families depends on it.

What are your biggest stresses?

Sending warm breezy aloha your way,

Gina

Watch for the free: Soothing Stress and Anxiety Webinar …coming SOON!