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Coping With StressJust "coping with stress" has become the very cornerstone of survival for so many lives.The problem is that, over time, it becomes harder and harder to believe that it is possible to not be stressed, or to really be relaxed. Being stressed is a condition you recognize and are blind to all at the same time.
You can't fix something that you cannot see. Most people have not learned how to understand the powerful impact unmanaged stress will have on your life. It has become commonplace to speak of it as casually as we do the weather. Just surviving life in this way makes it harder for you to be aware of the toll that unmanaged stress might be taking on your health (thoughts, physical, emotional, spiritual) and overall well-being.
Why is managing stress so hard?Many of the clients I have worked with had not felt there was much they could do about their stress except to merely endure it.They had not had the opportunity to learn any other way of dealing coping with stress. We live in an era where being stressed has become glorified. We live in a world that has bought into the notion that inorder to be successful you have to just endure stress. That is a value that has been learned. And, quite honestly, it is a value that no longer serves ones best interest. The reality is is that there is nothing glorified about chronic stress and the impact it will have on you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Here are some things to understand about how you are coping with stress:
Ignoring stress accomplishes nothing except ensure your chances of "normal" stress becoming chronic. Now is the time to learn what you need to understand about stress, and how you can manage it while in the midst of living your full and busy lives.
You truly CAN manage stress without having to:
Is it really possible to manage stress?One of my cardiac rehabilitation clients once told me,“Overcoming stress feels like being on a treadmill to oblivion." Coping with stress does NOT have to continue to feel like that for you.When I first met this client, he was coping with a re-occurance of cancer, had high blood pressure, and was recovering from having had a recent heart attack. To make it even worse, he had spent down nearly all of his savings to pay for his healthcare needs. He very clearly articulated his concern that the stress of his life was responsible for many of the realities he faced. He could now "see" it. As with so many, it is often when your body begins to manifest (physically, emotionally, spiritually) signs of chronic stress that, with fresh eyes, you begin to see anew the impact that stress can have on your life. What CAN you do?It is not acute stress that is the problem. Your body was designed to handle that.Rather, it is chronic stress that can take such a toll on you. Coping with stress when it becomes chronic is challenging because it can impact your “normal” life in so many ways:
Physical symptoms
Thoughts and emotional health Just as with this cardiac rehabilitation client, he really felt as if he WAS managing his stress by just getting through it...He was on his treadmill to oblivion, but didn't know how to get of it. This is a very common experience for most people. None of us can fix something that we cannot see. Nor, can we fix something that we do not have the awareness or skills to fix. I truly believe that everyone does the best they can in life given what they have learned. Why do I say that? Because just "coping with stress" is what most people have been taught... There IS hopeIt has also been through the experiences of my clients that I have garnered a deep respect for the impact that just coping with stress CAN have on your life.
It IS possible to live your life versus just surviving it. Stress CAN be managed. Managing your stress creates greater capacities to handle the challenges of your life, and with a greater sense of control and peace. Learning how to effectively manage stress is much different than just coping with stress. I believe that each person carries within them the wisdom to know the difference as they choose the stress management strategies that work best for them. As we work together, it IS within those moments of truth when you will have regained a sense of control over your life, and have begun to make a difference in your own health and well-being. For more information, please see:
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