How to handle stress
Recently I read this book about stress that helped me to shift my perspective on the amount of stress in my life. I am always looking for ways to find more peace in life and work smarter not harder so this book was perfect. It required you to dive into your stress story so I want to help you do the same.
Everything you do, think, believe even assume comes from your environment. You were consciously and subconsciously taught lessons as a child from a variety of people, role models, your parents or guardians, teachers, older siblings, random strangers who imparted wisdom to you randomly while you were going about your life in a public space. These lessons moulded you, and they may also not fully be part of who you are today. That is great. As a woman I believe stress happens to us more easily because we are naturally geared to help others, take on their energy and be in a carer state even if we don’t have a maternal bone in our body. We also pool cortisol (the stress hormone) in our body in places we don’t want to. For me, that has been around my stomach. 13 years ago I was told that I would never have a flat stomach if I couldn’t reduce my stress. At the same time I was advised on all the things I would like to do to have a flat stomach, from tracking calories, not having a relaxing glass of wine or two, avoiding snacks & working out intensely 5-6 days per week. When I heard that I realised it wasn’t the life I wanted to have so I removed the pressure on myself to achieve it. This removed a lot of stress and funnily enough I did get my flat stomach, multiple times and for an extended period of time. Why do I share this?
You have stress in your life that you do not need. You have something that you have been pushing to have but it doesn’t actually align to who you are or the life that you want to live. You also still have beliefs, attitudes and values that direct the amount of stress you experience in your life. Raise you awareness about what this is to change your story with stress. Here are 5 quick questions to help you.
1. What examples of stress do you see in your life?
2. Do you consider that you have stress or that you ‘do’ stress?
3. How often do you witness stress in your life? Around what things are stress the most prevalent?
4. Do you mimic those in your environment who are stressed? Think about this long and hard. It could be as simple as talking fast paced or not stopping to eat your lunch.
5. How often do you say ‘I’m stressed’ and what would happened if you changed that belief? What happened if you felt challenged or on a big learning curve instead? Would it change the way you connect with stress?
Leave comments below of what you shared, post on Instagram and tag us @magnetically_confident or if you want to keep it private shoot me an email at julia@magneticconfidence.com.au
Take time to sit with the reasons for why you stress and unpack them