The True Impact of Stress
When we talk about stress, what do we actually mean?
Stress is change that is happening too fast for the individual or indeed, a society. It is even more pronounced when we feel powerless to stop it, or it doesn’t suit where we want to go.
Stress related illnesses can range from despair and depression, anxiety, heart palpitations, to raised blood pressure and panic attacks.
Why is change itself stressful when it is the natural order of things? Not one second remains the same, so why do we believe lives should also stay so?
As our self-awareness expands, change happens more quickly as new understandings and perspectives become known to us. Is it finding out certain truths that we fear or find challenging? For example a relationship that doesn’t serve us any longer, or work pressures taking their toll on our health?
Anger or disappointment, if not channelled, can turn in on itself and lead to feelings of gloom, despondency and emptiness.
Sometimes, though, we are desperate to change and feel stuck. The more we desire it, the more we feel like we are banging our heads on a brick wall. This builds up the pressure inside us until one day, we do something dramatic, or dangerous even, to upend the status quo.
When we refuse to examine the negative situations we find ourselves in, events often conspire to shake us awake in ways that can feel shocking. We are left wondering why we didn’t listen to ourselves when those signals first became apparent.
The mind – the spirit- loves new things, change and challenges, if only we’d stop the ego dictating terms and keeping us ‘small’.
Honour Change, Take Control. We can only gain equilibrium if we understand that Life is change. That a master plan for humanity exists. That the ways we’ve been carrying on no longer work and are making us ill. At that catalytic point, we gain understanding and determination. We are now in control and the stress is being used ‘positively’ to drive the new forward, instead of overwhelming us.
Hold your Vision, Calm your Mind. A good coping strategy would be to write down what you are aiming for. If you can’t think how to rectify the situation, write down what WOULD help you, so that your mind is calmed. Focus on that and not on the current situation, as that only gives it more power.
Focus on the Outcome, Change your Perspective. Instead of struggling, allow the path to unfold. The mere acceptance that it is unfolding, even when we can’t see it yet – can often release pent-up stress. We are now using the ‘energy’ to create the new (that is, taking concrete steps towards our goals or following an action plan) and not using it to beat ourselves up.
Out of Chaos, comes Peace. The chaos which surrounds us can then be viewed as necessary to take us to calmer waters. That takes a strong and calm mind. Meditation and connection with the self is crucial. If we can calm the mind and work out what is valuable and what is trivial, we can start to tame the stressors and be kinder to ourselves along the way.