Sometimes it seems stress is all everyone talks about. Plenty of us experience it as a normal part of life, but it can become a major problem when it starts to take over and rule certain parts of your life.
When that happens, it can truly become debilitating, affecting the way you experience or move through life. It might even be the root cause of an array of symptoms you can be experiencing, ranging from physical to emotional.
The severity and longevity of stress you experience can range from something as simple as being frustrated with peak-hour traffic or being late to an appointment through to losing a job or experiencing separation or divorce. All of us have experienced it in one form or other and all of us know it can be a daunting experience.
How do we avoid stress without avoiding meaning, growth, purpose and development? There are a number of coping mechanisms that together, not in isolation, can work as effective strategies in response to stress. Surprisingly, one of them is to befriend your stress.
In her Ted Talk, health psychologist Kelly McGonigal shares a fascinating idea: that the harmful effects of stress may be a consequence of our perception that it is bad for our health.
“Can changing how you think about stress make you healthier? Here the science says ‘yes’,” says McGonigal. “Your heart might be pounding, you may be breathing faster… but what if you viewed them as signs that your body was energised and it’s preparing you to meet this challenge.”
Understanding this was a game-changer for me. I recognised that when my body is under stress and presenting me with severe stress responses, that those responses weren’t the enemy – they were my friend. I became aware that my body adopted them to support me through the challenges before me and ensure I’m equipped with what I need to meet and overcome those challenges.
With that knowledge I was able to change the way I responded to stress. Instead of resenting or trying to stop the stress responses within my body, I began to acknowledge and appreciate them.
If you would like to learn more about the tools to effectively manage stress and its impact on your life, join me this Saturday for my Body Soul Workshop at Qi Yoga in Freshwater.
