Everybody knows at least one definition of stress, but when it comes to the recognition of stress in everyday life, most people have difficulties identifying these situations. They don’t realize, in which specific situations they are actually experiencing stress and how their body is reacting to stress. One of the more common places in our body, in which stress manifests itself are the tense muscle groups in their neck and shoulders. Often people don’t feel these muscles unless the muscles start hurting or they getting a headache. Sometimes the stress the stress can also manifest itself in the digestive system, causing an upset stomach.
Certain stressful situations can be avoided for example being on your way to work knowing you will be late again. It is easy to belittle this situation, but deep inside it bothers them and that is already enough to produce stress. Clearly this kind of stress is solved by thinking the situation and circumstances over and arranging time in a way, that makes it possible to get to work in time. Maybe you have to make new arrangements in the morning in order to find the appropriate stress relief.
But there are other situations, when stress can simply not be avoided. Then the most important thing is to get clear what exactly is causing the stress in this situation and how can I cope with the situation, without the negative side effects of stress. If you experience a situation as stressful and you are aware that this is the case, then you are more in control of that situation, and the negative side effects of stress are much less affecting you. Example: You have 3 children, one of them is sitting on the floor, the other two are fighting over a toy and you just came home from work and would like to have a quiet cup of coffee. When you are aware of this stressful situation, you can stay focused and have the possibility to neutralize the negative effects of stress.
There is one additional factor to stress and stress relief and that is what is called stress anxiety. This feeling of anxiety is caused by the inner dialogue one has with stressful situations, starting by the question are you accepting the situation as it is and do you think you have the ability to cope with it.
People who suffer from stress anxiety don’t think that they don’t have what it takes or from the first beginning they don’t accept the situation, because of a low self-esteem. This inner dialogue often takes place on a subconscious level and can influenced positively only on the conscious level. With positive affirmations – like I now accept the situation as it is and I have the ability to cope with the situation – said or written on a daily basis you can slowly reach the subconscious level and remodel your inner dialogue. It may take several weeks, but it is a proven method. You should create affirmations, which are suitable for your specific situations and in the beginning write them down. It will help you to remember them, when you need them. By the way if you had a stressful day and you want to rewind quickly listen to melodic music you like and watch your mood and thoughts, both are in a relaxed state and give you the distance you need from the events. Even when you don’t feel like listening to music, take 15 minutes of your time and listen and watch yourself calming down.
Dealing with Stress and Stress anxiety as well as finding stress relief is one of the key elements to making our daily lives easier and creates the level of wellness we want in our lives. Coping with stress through awareness is not a one time event, but is a never ending process through which we never stop learning about ourselves continually.