Older Fish to young fish: “How’s the water?”
Young fish: “What the hell is water?”
Just as fish don’t know they’re in water, we humans often don’t know we’re stressed.
Most of us experience some level of stress on a daily basis. But while some day-to-day stress is normal, and can even be a good thing if it motivates us, chronic, overwhelming stress can have a negative impact on our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
The trouble arises when whatever we feel is so normal for us that we don’t realise how much stress we’re holding in our bodies, so we don’t do anything about it.
Our body knows, though. When we’re stressed, we might experience mental and physical symptoms, such as irritability, anger, headaches, difficulty sleeping, tiredness, back or neck pain, eating disorders, skin problems, substance abuse, lack of energy, upset stomach, less interest in sex or other things we used to enjoy.
Sound familiar??
When we’re already stressed or overwhelmed, even the smallest thing can seem too much to handle, especially if we already feel we’re losing control of our lives.
We’re not talking about the acute stress we experience when we perceive danger, but ‘normal’ events such as chronic illness or injury, emotional problems, taking care of an elderly or sick family member, death of a loved one, divorce, moving home, job loss …
Things we just get on with and push through
… because it’s expected of us / we don’t want to let people down / we don’t want to look weak / that’s what everyone does, isn’t it? / if we don’t, who will? …
What if there were an easy way to deal with stress?
Try this. With eyes closed, for ten seconds each:
o take some slow, silent breaths, spending longer on the exhale than the inhale
o very gently rub two fingers together so that you can feel the ridges on your fingertips
o listen to the furthest away sound you can hear
o and now listen to the closest sound, probably your own breathing
o wriggle your toes so that you can feel each toe separately
o notice the temperature of the air in your nostrils as you breathe in, and the temperature of the air in your nostrils as you breathe out.
That’s just one minute. If we take two minutes, several times a day, to practise these exercises, we will be creating new neural pathways in our brain. Building our mental fitness so that we can respond to Life’s challenges with a positive mindset and less stress.
Join the Unlimited Creativity Course and:
· learn how to integrate these mini-meditations into your daily life
· understand how you sabotage your wellbeing and success with your thoughts
· discover the Sage perspective and five Sage powers for a happier life
· strengthen the three mental muscles needed for mental and emotional fitness
· improve creativity, wellbeing and relationships
Learn simple, life-changing practices that can help you take stress in your stride with the Unlimited Creativity Course.
Sonia x