Stress is a part of most people’s lives.
It is a reality that we all live with.
This is why we need to have different mechanisms in place for coping with stress. The challenge for most of us is actually being cognizant of when we are stressed. It is such an habitual state for us to be in, that most of the time we don’t even know when we are in it!
We all have distinctive and personal indicators that we manifest when we are feeling stressed. What are yours?
Physical symptoms are the most obvious:
Do you bite your nails?
Do you perspire?
Do you clench your teeth?
Do you get a headache or feel your neck muscles getting tight?
Maybe you don’t have any obvious physical symptoms because your signs are more intangible.
Do you feel overwhelmed?
Do you get anxious?
Maybe you are irritable?
Maybe afraid?
Do you get curt with people because you are frustrated with what you perceive as their ineptness?
If you want to cope with your stress then you need to recognize what types of behavior you exhibit while in a “stressful state” and which situations trigger these behaviors.
Step 1. Contemplate on what your significant symptoms are when you are feeling stressed. List as many as possible.
Step 2. Go through each point and reflect on it. Write down in as much detail as possible the situations that usually trigger these stressors.
Step 3. Now think about whether you actually have the desire and discipline to do something about it. Even though we may be aware of the fact that we are stressed; we can get so wrapped up in the drama of it all that we just go with it.
In some ways it seems easier to let the “snowball of stress” continue to gain momentum instead of employing our force of will to stop it.
If you are honest with yourself, you may come to the conclusion that you are not committed to changing.
Being “stressed out” is a way of life for you. It is all you know, you are good at it!
What if you embark on this new path of “less stress” and you fail. Fear of failure and fear of change are natural human responses.
The real failure comes when we let fear stop us.
November 9th, 2008 at 5:50 am
I really enjoyed this post. It’s easy to forget how powerful our physical reactions are! I like your approach here. Especially reminding the reader that we are not always ready for change — though we think we are! I agree that the real failure is letting fear stop us. Thanks for posting this!
November 9th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Hi Julie,
Thank you for your kind words. I am glad it was helpful! “Coping with Stress” is a part of a series of articles on Stress that I have written, hopefully Life Coaches Blog will be posting the rest. So keep in touch!
Kindest regards,
Karen
November 10th, 2008 at 6:55 am
This is a great article. I especially like the list of symptoms… some of which a lot of people may not recognize as a sign of stress.
It’s also important to continue with your stress managment activities even when there are no signs or symptoms of stress. Doing this will help you become stressed less often and ward off stress before it even begins.
November 10th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Hi Jill,
Absolutely, it should be a way of life! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Kindest regards,
Karen
July 1st, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Hi,
Great site!!!!! Good health is very important with the high cost of medical coverage. We need to have a healther lifestyle by taking care of our health eating and exercising. I am a cancer survivor and I know. Our health is our greatest asset. Keep up the Good Work!!!!!
January 16th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
The physical body does not differentiate between happy stress and overwhelm. Stress is stress. We need to develop coping mechanisms in our daily life to avoid the harmful, physiological effects of stress.