It is quite common to suffer from stress. Stress can creep up on us all, and if not caught early enough can lead to more severe symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and even panic attacks.
Common physical symptoms of stress are low energy, headaches, and other bodily aches including upset stomach, chest pains, and insomnia. Emotional symptoms include constant worrying, over-analysing, and an inability to rest and relax. Feeling overwhelmed and coming to tears easily are also signs.
I’m actually a fan of feeling stress, as when I am stressed I know it is simply a call from my body. It is asking me to pause — a reminder to ‘stop’. Am I expecting too much of myself?
I need to ask, why am I trying to be superhuman and overload myself with tasks and responsibilities, worrying that I don’t have time to do it all?
Stress makes me stop and ask ‘What is the worst that can happen if I stop right now?
My preferred definition of a stress is …..the perceived demands being placed upon me versus my perceived ability to handle these demands.
As you can see, like most things in life, it is our perception which causes our stress.
You may also feel over-burdened, which is causing you stress.
Write on a piece of paper
I feel responsible for…..
Explore what comes next. Keep going until you have run out of answers.
Are you taking more than your fair share of responsibility for another’s life?
Who can you turn to for help? It takes courage to ask for help.
It is easy to turn to alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to ease the stress, however, this can make our symptoms worse as we are not looking at the root cause of what’s causing the stress. We have to be courageous enough to get to the root cause of the problem.
We can become stressed by:
1) Others in our life who make continual demands of us.
2) A change in our life, which has been forced upon us.
3) Changes, which we have put ourselves through.
4) Trying to cope with the challenges of life.
Here is a suggestion to help you reduce your mental stress:
List everything you are worried about or feel overwhelmed with.
- From this list, identify whom you or what you have no control over, and you personally cannot affect or change the situation. Then write next to each one, ‘I let these worries go’. Remember you are not God; let other adults take responsibility for their own life.
- Next, make one action point for each worry which you do have control over. This action point should be a positive step forward to eliminate the worry – maybe you need to seek outside support or simply commit to sorting it by taking baby steps.
- It is often helpful to get a fresh unbiased perspective on the situation –even asking a friend for their advice can be helpful or seeking coaching or counselling support.
- Have some ‘You’ time – even taking a walk outside will make a difference or download an app, which will help you relax. https://glennharrold.com/ visualisations at are very effective.
Journal Prompts
- Who or what is stressing me out?
- Why do I feel so stressed?
- How can I stop taking on too much?
- Why do I take on too much?
- On a scale of 0-10, how much do I allow myself to rest?
If you would like help managing your stress, please contact me for spiritual growth mentoring.