Stress is something that seems completely unavoidable. In one way or another, it is something that we all have dealt with.
There are ways of coping with stress, like practicing mindfulness and regularly working out, but one will never be able to live stress-free. What is more important is how we process through stress. It can be a mix of blame, guilt, shame and it’s important to recognize which one and why we react in this way.
The true key to managing stress—both emotional and physical manifestations of it—is recognizing your own triggers, and then identifying coping mechanisms.
So, let’s identify some of the symptoms, so we can start recognizing triggers.
Some emotional symptoms include:
-poor concentration skills
-difficulty remembering things
-increased feelings of anxiety, anger, grief, or sadness
-disappointment and feelings of falling short, perhaps repeatedly.
Some physical symptoms include:
-altered eating habits
-chronic headaches
-muscle tension
-gastrointestinal issues
-disrupted sleeping patterns
The good news is that there are many ways to manage emotional stress if it begins to overwhelm you.
Your first step: Get a journal and write what at this moment is making you feel so overwhelmed. Document how it transpired and what you can do to change your reaction to stress.
Second: Create a path to rework your reaction to the stressful circumstance. Often, the way reacted makes us even more stressed. What can you deem is a solution to it not occurring again. Often, listening to those cues or little voices telling us to be part of the solution is helpful.
Think about the healthy habits you already know you should be practicing. Things like drinking water, eating healthy, moving your body, getting the proper amount of sleep can all help.
Lastly: Stay aware of the things that are causing you the stress, to mitigate in the future.
Often, when we document our triggers we start an unwinding of a learned pattern to stress which no longer serves us.
