Reframing Stress

Too much to do and too little time to do it in.  Negative news stories.  Bad weather.  Sickness.  Fatigue.  Expectations.  Frustration.  Anxiety.  Sleeplessness.  These are but a few of the things that contribute to stress.  Stress is not just in our heads.  It is in our bodies too.  When we perceive a threat, our body goes into overdrive to ramp up our fight, flight or freeze response.  Adrenaline and cortisol are the hormones that start racing.  Cortisol helps us crave junk food and retain belly fat.  Being smart and knowing that we are not supposed to eat to manage stress is not enough to keep us from doing it, however.  At that point, the chemistry in the body and our emotions have taken over. 

This sounds practically hopeless, but it is isn't.  We can reframe our stress.  We can prioritize our time so that we don't waste it on things we can't possibly control.  We can get exercise (#1 healthy stress reliever) and take periodic walking breaks throughout the day to reset our equilibrium.  We can activate the stress relief response in the body (deep, meditative breaths in through the nose/out through the nose) to calm down. 

We are all too human, and when it comes to managing busy lives, we can't be perfect, and we can't do the right thing all the time, but we can get better.  When we manage our stress  proactively (exercising before work) or reactively (bad day--need time to shake it off), we are doing something so beneficial for our physical and mental health.  We take the power back.  We are no longer victims of circumstance.  We can see how strong we really are, because we are discovering new, inventive, healthful ways to cope.

This week, consider taking a technology break and see if it helps reduce your stress.  Consider taking time off from reading or watching upsetting news stories.  Make time to engage in hobbies, napping, talking to a friend, taking a walk in the warmer sunshine and see what it does to make you feel like you are in charge.  See what this might do to remind you that you do, in fact, want more from your life.  You do, in fact, deserve to have more in your life.  You can, in fact, manage a bit better, a bit more often, and get what you really want.  That's worth working for!