Are you stressed, irritable, anxious, overworked, exhausted, or all of the above? Welcome to the club. Stress plays a huge role in our everyday existence. As much as we can try to eliminate certain scenarios, stressors will forever land in your lap. Whether that’s your car not starting in the morning, the phone ringing, or the challenge of a new project at work.
So, while we can’t completely eliminate stress we CAN change the way we react to stressors.
As I have mentioned in other posts there is a huge continuous dialogue between the mind and the body. Any stressors that negatively effect you mentally and emotionally will show up in the body as well. This also works visa-versa where tension in the body leads to mental stress.
As I have mentioned in other posts there is a huge continuous dialogue between the mind and the body. Any stressors that negatively effect you mentally and emotionally will show up in the body as well. This also works visa-versa where tension in the body leads to mental stress.
What’s great about this connection is that relaxing one will relax the other. The internal chemical chatter between the mind and the body can be used as a tool in your relaxation efforts!
Here’s what you do:
Check Yourself: Throughout the day whenever you are feeling stressed, anxious, etc… check in with your body. Chances are you are doing one of many things; clenching your jaw, frowning, furrowing your brows, hunched over in your back, shoulders raised, gripping your fists, or simply holding tension in a certain part of your body.
Once you have identified your bodily stress reactions, work on letting them go.
Check Yourself: Throughout the day whenever you are feeling stressed, anxious, etc… check in with your body. Chances are you are doing one of many things; clenching your jaw, frowning, furrowing your brows, hunched over in your back, shoulders raised, gripping your fists, or simply holding tension in a certain part of your body.
Once you have identified your bodily stress reactions, work on letting them go.
Take A Moment: Let go of the death grip on your coffee cup or whatever tension you have discovered and breath into it. Take a few slow deep breaths while imagining the exhaled air running like water down and out through your arms and fingertips. This will settle your nerves and relax the whole body. I also like to add a self affirmation or mantra to boost my spirits, and even a small internal smile. Just the act of smiling triggers feel good hormones in the brain. Mimic the posture and tension-free body you feel when you are relaxed and you’ll induce those feelings into your psyche. Gloriously simple isn’t it?!
So in the truly poetic rhyme from Ice Cube, “you betta check yo’ self before you wreck yo’ self.”
Do you have any personal tricks you have cooked up to help you deal with stress? Let me know in the comments!
So in the truly poetic rhyme from Ice Cube, “you betta check yo’ self before you wreck yo’ self.”
Do you have any personal tricks you have cooked up to help you deal with stress? Let me know in the comments!
