Back to our Fall schedules? Maybe? Maybe not?
The “what ifs” of life may feel stressful or create worry, but you can shift this if you choose.
Stress is the body’s reaction to a threat, whereas anxiety is the body’s reaction to the stress. Under stress, we can experience mental and physical symptoms such as irritability, anger, fatigue, muscle pain, shallow breathing, digestive troubles, and difficulty sleeping. This is usually triggered by something temporary and external.
If we are stressed out often, we can get caught in stress cycles where small things send us into a tailspin. For example, when we hit a red light and react, our body can go straight into fight or flight and respond no differently than if a wild animal is chasing us to our death. This can be very hard on our bodies.
Stress can be a trigger for anxiety, however, anxiety is usually an internal trigger from our thoughts. Anxiety is persistent and excessive worrying that doesn’t go away, even in the absence of a stressor.
When you experience anxiety, your mind is in the future making up different scenarios that haven’t happened yet. Anxiety can create the same symptoms in your body as stress, and more if we continue the pattern for long periods of time.
What do you do about stress and anxiety to maintain your health?Slow down your mind by being in the present moment. One way to do this is to use your 5 senses.
What do you smell?
Good or bad, get the olfactory senses going.
Do you dabble with essential oils? Inhale the scent.
Can you smell the flowers? The ocean?
What does the breeze send?
What do you see?
What colors are around you?
Do you notice anything you don’t usually see?
New plant growth? The scenery around you? Children playing?
What do you taste?
Are you thirsty?
Try eating a piece of fruit and tune into everything about it, including the texture, juiciness, and sweetness.
What do you hear?
What is happening around you?
Are there any birds you can hear?
Maybe you can hear the ocean or the tree branches swaying from the wind.
Once you are back in the present moment, it’s good to check in and make sure that you are not creating a stress cycle. This is when we are getting stressed out so often that the smallest inconvenience is telling our body we are in real danger, depleting our internal resources.
To break the cycle, check in and see if what you are stressed about is worth your health. Most times it is not. We must break the cycle by being aware that it is even happening.
Continue to create more present moments today and break the mental chain cycles that are holding you back from living a vibrant and connected life.