There is good stress and bad stress? Don’t you think so?
Good stress is when we experience something new, a new experience, maybe a new job, a “new” date – simply because we’re doing something we’ve never done before and our body is on alert. That’s cool, that’s nice, but even though our body is on alert, we know it’s somehow pleasurable or positive for us. I would call it excitement that comes with stress, but it feels self-empowering and on a deeper level it’s helpful for our growth.
Bad stress is when we feel overwhelmed, when we feel like we are not self-determining. We feel forced into it on some level. We don’t have free choice or a positive outlook. To understand this stress, we often have to dig deeper, because much of it is usually due to trauma. But there are a few things you can do to alleviate the symptoms – until you’re ready to address the root cause.
So, I want to share with you 4 simple ways to think about when you are stressed and what you can do about it. In general and in a specific situation. And never forget: build a strong foundation early and practice with small stressful situations so that one day you can use them to score the big one.
1.) BREATHING: Nothing, and I repeat, nothing has as big an impact on our body, thoughts and feelings as breathing. We know it all. First, take a deep breath. If that doesn’t work, go to the bathroom (if you’re in a situation where you’re stuck) and practice Anuloma viloma, or for advanced practitioners, ‘A BREATH WITHOUT RESISTANCE’. Focus on your breath – your lifeline to peace!
2) MOVE: Your body is made to move. Your body loves to move. Your body needs movement. When you don’t move, residue creeps into your body and unused energy accumulates in your body. Just get moving. I don’t care if you dance, run, do yoga, swim or whatever…. But please keep your body moving. If you are not moving, start here!
3.) THINK POSITIVELY: As humans, we have the gift of observing our own thoughts. This is great and crazy and also a great advantage. But who really lives out this gift? My main tool for you is meditation. But even if you don’t want to do that, embrace the great teaching of positive thoughts and practice it. Fake it until you make it!
4.) FEELINGS. Emotions are an important part of being human. Use your feelings as a guidance system. Instead of constantly reacting to them. Positive emotions that point you to your true nature and way of being, and negative emotions (which are also good for you) that simply show you what you don’t want or what you reject or where you need to go deeper. All your emotions need to be seen and integrated. Just observe, watch and react less. Enjoy what you can and learn from the rest!
There are hundreds of ways and tools to make progress in each of these areas, but we have to start somewhere. With curiosity about ourselves and compassion for ourselves.
And I hear you. I too was once on the verge of or in a burnout situation and had to learn how to best use my skills and tools. And even though I have escaped PERMANENT STRESS, I use the above tools as soon as they are needed.
I openly share my experiences and what I have learned over the past decade working with my students. There is no shortcut. You can if you want to learn tools to get back on track in emergency situations and gain a comprehensive understanding of the connection between body, thoughts and feelings to achieve long-term balance. The stronger this foundation becomes, the better prepared you’ll be for situations where the shit hits the fan. You’ll get up a little faster and go a little further – with a more loving and less bitter heart.
I am a mindfulness, yoga, meditation and healing coach and I look forward to sharing my journey with you in Mallorca & Online.
