Stress Is Part Of Life
Stress is the other side of a calm, peaceful, confident state of mind, where we live knowing that we have everything we need to handle the task at hand.
Yes, beyond and before a stressful state of mind, there is a calmed, confident state of mind where we experience life with ease, and curiosity. Remember: your physical and mental systems are resilient, they are designed to bounce back. it does not matter how agitated or stressful our system gets, it always re-sets… back to health, back to the absence of pain, and disturbance.
Stress: is a feeling, a physical or mental sensation. It is your body’s automatic response to any pressure (positive, or negative) from any perception, interpretation, or meaning you give to events, people, or things.
In other words, stress is a feeling of emotional, physical, or mental tension in response to how you perceive life situations.
Everybody experiences all emotions in unique ways, we all know how joy feels, we know how sadness feels, we know how anger feels, and we all know how fear feels, and yet, each one of us has a very unique experience of each emotion.
The same happens with stress, stress means different things to each individual. Roller-coasters may cause negative stress in my system, and yet, it causes positive stress in the systems of thousands of people. Jogging causes stress, watching scary movies causes stress, watching a sad movie causes stress, having a baby causes stress, falling in love causes stress, losing a job causes stress, and we can interpret any situation… in any which way. It all depends on our state of mind.
We are nature in human form, and just like nature; we are resilient. Our bodies are designed for success, we are physically and mentally resilient: our system is designed to bounce back. We have everything we need to handle each moment, in the moment. You can handle this moment, and then the next moment when it arrives, but you can’t ever handle the next moment… now. In nature; weather conditions (rainy season or draughts) cause stress, the four seasons cause stress, wildfires cause stress, predators cause stress, and yet, nature is resilient, it always bounces back.
As you look back at your life history, can you see how often you have temporarily lost your health, or peace of mind and returned to health and well-being? Yes, it is temporary, and we bounce back. That is the cycle of life.
Causes Of Stress
When I start worrying about how I will handle life tomorrow, since I am not there yet, I don’t know how things will go then, but my mind tries to calculate and predict the future and wants to know exactly how tomorrow will be. And since I can’t know the future, (but my mind wants to) this causes stress.
Stress is part of life, and we are designed to handle “stress” in a good way, and bounce back. End of the story.
What are some sources of stress in your life?
What thoughts cause stress in your life?
Stress symptoms:
- Headaches
- Low energy
- Irritability
- Discouragement
- Aches and pains: chest pains, and tense muscles
- Moods: change in sex drive, sadness or depression, envy, jealousy, self-criticism, and self-doubt
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): constipation, nausea, diarrhea
What To Do About Stress
When you feel you have too much stress to handle, and you start feeling overwhelmed reach out and get help. Talk to your doctor, mental health practitioner, talk to your rabbi/priest, talk to a trusted friend or family member. Reaching out for help is no evidence that you are broken, or that you need fixing, it only means you are human, and that you are having a human experience. It is like catching a common cold, it is temporary, and you are designed to bounce back to balance, and health.
Reach out for help before signals of “chronic stress” start appearing:
- Stress… chronic stress: feeling that you are under constant pressure all the time
- Worry sometimes, then… worrying many times during the day
- Anxiety
- Coping mechanisms = smoking, overeating, drinking, doing drugs, or engaging in unwanted behaviors to deal with stress
- Panic attacks
- Withdrawal from family, friends, and community support systems
- Trouble sleeping, restless sleeping, or sleeping too much
- Depression: suicidal ideation
Remember you are nature in human form, you are designed to successfully live through your life cycle. You have everything you need to handle each moment, just don’t try to handle two-moments at the same time. Don’t try to inhale while exhaling.
Many times, a good night’s sleep, a long walk, or a warm bath is enough to clear the system after an overwhelming day.
Take a walk, take a time out from the situation, call a good friend, call your doctor or mental health practitioner, you are not alone. You are a valuable member of the human family. You matter, and when you are back to center, remember: “we; humans are one big family, and you are part of the community support system”.
Until next time, yours…
J Enrique Roman