The Secret Toxin (Poison) in Stress (part II)
Stress is toxic when we can not handle the amount or the emotional intensity of a situation (often times we feel both the amount and the intensity of the stress). In this blog I will give you a simple strategy that can be used to help you when you are feeling stress.
The best way to handle stress is to be able to know that you are feeling it as soon as possible, the earlier you are aware that you are overwhelmed the easier it will be to deal with what you are feeling.
Here is where to start:
Use Your Past as Your Teacher
For early detection, think about two times that you have felt stress, play back those experiences or situations in your mind as best you can, think about when you were first aware that you were feeling stressed / over whelmed.
First think about:
- Did you have any physical sensations? (Tenseness in your neck or shoulders, heart beating more quickly)
- What were you telling yourself while you were upset?
Second, think about what you did that helped you reduce the stress you were experiencing. Too often people aren’t aware that they are stressed until it has overwhelmed them.
Many of us do have successful strategies but either we are not aware we are using them (and so we aren’t able to use them when we need to) or under pressure we forget what has helped us in the past.
In my next blog, I will give you another tool that you can use to cope successfully with stress / overload when it happens to you.