You’re feeling stressed, and barely keeping your head above water, but you’re coping. When friends ask how you’re doing, you say “good” or “okay”. You’re stressed, but you have it under control. Or at least you’ve got people believing you do – maybe even yourself. But you feel wretched.
Does any of this sound familiar?
So often we may feel like we’re handling the daily stressors well, but not until either the stress is relieved or we get ill that our bodies tell a different story.
Acute, short term, states are no problem. In fact studies reveal we operate best with slight-moderate amounts, and even high stress for short times.
However, chronic states are another issue altogether and can affect nearly any and every system in our body from digestive, to pulmonary, immune, cardiac, musculoskeletal, and of course emotional, mental and spiritual.
Life events happen, but our perception of them, our resistance to what is, and our unmet expectations are what causes our stress.
By releasing control of outcome, results and expectations, we are invited back into our personal power – self-empowerment: the place of healing, trust, confidence that all will be okay, acceptance, surrendering to what cannot be changed, vitality and our ability to survive whatever life throws our way.
Here are a few questions to help reveal where you may be resisting, setting expectations or causing yourself undue stress and pain:
– What do you wish you could change, but feel powerless in?
– What is drawing power from you (fear, worry, anger, work, relationships)?
– What do you not want people to know about you?
– Are you waiting for something outside of yourself to heal something within (doctor, test results, career, money, weight loss)? If so, what part of the healing can you could take at least partial responsibility for?
Once you have clarity around these questions, you begin to shine light on some of the resistance you have that is contributing to your stress.
And then it’s about taking empowered action where you can, and releasing control and expectation of what you can’t.
For further help doing this, the likes of Eckart Tolle and Byron Katie offer great resources on their sites. For personal support, certified life coaches, counselors, psychologists and other cognitive behavior therapists may be helpful.