How often does the same old stress management activity advice just end up annoying you?
Have you stopped to think about why it might annoy you?
The response to that question from many of my clients has been that many stress techniques are unrealistic.
They had been so overwhelmed by stress that they felt there was nothing left over to deal with their stress.
Stress Management Activity 101
To effectively cope with stress requires two main factors:
Knowledge
Skills
It’s important to understand that unmanaged stress is, fundamentally, about not having the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with the stressors of your life.
It doesn't matter how intelligent you are, how successful you are, or how strong of a person you are. If your brain doesn’t feel as if you have the skills necessary to adapt to a particular stressor, then your stress response will stay activated.
Period. End of story. Those are the facts.
How does the stress response work?
The stress response is part of the autonomic nervous system of the brain…This is the part of the brain that takes care of the body without our having to think about it…like breathing.
Within the autonomic nervous system, there are two parts:
The “fight or flight” stress response – the sympathetic nervous system
and the relaxation response – the parasympathetic nervous system
Think of these two systems as one of the most important innate relationships your body has. And, just like in any healthy relationship there is a need for balance to exist between them.
The fight or flight part of the brain is activated in response to any threat of uncertainty.
That threat of uncertainty can be something physical, like being chased by a dog. But, for most of us it is a perceived threat of uncertainty…your fears and worries.
If you were being chased by a dog, your stress response would be triggered and your body would respond accordingly to help you survive that threat.
Ironically, the stress response is there to protect you.
Once you have effectively found safety from the dog, it would not take long for the relaxation response to be activated because you have perceived yourself to be safe. Your body can once again relax.
What do you suppose happens with your constant fears and worry?
Stress management activity techniques
As we work together, you will come to understand the power that you have inside of you. There is truly a
BEST
in who you are.
It will be out of those conversations of how to manage your stress from a more holistic perspective that, in the end, you will come to understand the stress management activity that work best for you and the circumstances of your life.
But, for now here are my top three recommendations for you to get you started in managing your stress:
It is important to do more slow deep breathing from your abdomen. When you breathe deeply from your abdomen, the vagus nerve will activate the relaxation response.
You don’t always have to figure out why you are feeling the way you are. Give yourself permission to just let the emotions pass through you. They will…
Frequently throughout your day, say this mantra:
I am physically safe…
There is no physical threat…
It’s okay to relax...
Let’s talk
Take advantage of FREE opportunity for us to spend a ½ hour talking about your particular
chronic stress
chronc stress situation.
Let me help you get back on track with yourself and your life.
There is hope that you can find a stress management activity that will give you control over your life once again.
Take a moment to fill out the following contact form and I will email you with a time to set up your
FREE 1/2 HOUR STRESS CONSULTATION
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There is so much to learn and understand about how stress impacts our lives. If you have a question related to how stress might be impacting your life, please share it here.
What Other Visitors Have Said
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Country living reduces stress. Not rated yet For what its worth I have found that country living reduces stress more than anything else I've ever tried in my life. Once I moved to the country and …
Can stress affect judgement and behaviour? Not rated yet Can stress affect judgement and behaviour? I know I haven't been acting like myself for awhile now. That bothers me, but I also am feeling like I don't …
The reasons for stress in peoples lives? Not rated yet Why is it that dealing with stress feels so impossible any more? I often feel hopeless about the whole thing, and that gets me nowhere. What are the …
Coping with becoming a primary caregiver Not rated yet Life has gotten really hard. My father is very very ill, and can no longer take care of himself. All those burdens and joys now fall onto me. I do …
Life stress questionnaire Not rated yet I feel like I am beginnning to feel the impact of stress, or what I think is because of the stress in my life. Do you have a life stress questionnaire …
stress affect socially Not rated yet Can stress affect socially? Some crap is changing with people and I'm trying to understand my role, if any.
Anne, thank you for this question. …
possible to ignore stress? Not rated yet In your experience, have you found that it is possible to ignore stress?
Interesting question, Dan. There are a couple of ways that I can answer …
Does music cause stress to the body? Not rated yet Sometimes, especially if driving I can get more irritated with everything depending what music I'm listening to. Does music cause stress to the body? …
Coping with stress questionnaire Not rated yet I can't cope. Do you have a coping with stress questionnaire? I need help of some sort. Can't figure it out.
Hi Mike. Do you know what courage …
how does stress affect your social life Not rated yet Just out of curiosity, how does stress affect one's social life? Something is changing and I can't figure out why. Thank you.
There a lot of people who have become overwhelmed by stress and how to get rid of it. I can understand this feeling. But it does not mean that good information is NOT out there. It is.
Please help a friend or loved one by sharing this information with them. Email this link to them or submit this page to your Tweet account, or Facebook or your favorite social bookmarking or networking site. Use the links below to pay it forward.
Learning how to become aware of the power of your perceptions is the key to your quest of stress management anxiety reduction techniques that will work for you.
- FREE - Control My Stress stress management tools!
“Ms. Churchill is the unique health care worker everyone hopes to encounter, but rarely does. She has an extraordinary gift that allows her to do much more than diagnose and treat.” Abbie K. – Minneapolis
K., age 45, is a long term chronically PTSD disabled patient. She has had daily headaches for 20 years. Two weeks ago she reported that she had had 4 days of pain free time, and was having the exceedingly odd sensation of "smiling all the time". She and Cathi have made extraordinary fast progress together. Dr. Cole
I referred C.L., age mid-forties, to see Cathi after a life of suffering the post traumatic stress disorder of parental sexual abuse over many years of her childhood, with major dysfunctions of alcohol and drug abuse, and with the disabling symptoms of migraine that have for more than twenty years become chronic.
She has lived with daily headaches that have not responded to any of the several drugs which have benefited many such suffering patients. She has needed chronic opiate treatment of her chronic pain syndrome.
In the few weeks that Cathi has worked with her, C.L. has begun to experience days without pain, periods of happiness, and a reduction in her opiate dosage requirements that represent a breakthrough in her stalled-out life as a single mom raising a teen-age daughter with only social security income resources. Dr. Racer
“I first met Cathi Churchill eight years ago when she effectively helped my work unit through the stress of a hospital-wide layoff. I was impressed with her clear-minded approach and willingness to listen.” Andy R.
N., age 60, is a hard driving attorney twenty year patient of mine who hit the wall with chronic fatigue four years ago, and began to realize she had to learn to rest. She recovered enough to return to her workaholic lifestyle when she was stopped by a herniated cervical disc and resumption of her chronic colitis.
Working with Cathi, she is discovering "the way she does life" and learning to make choices about it. She came in last week, having "danced until dawn". She is learning to dialogue with her body in effective ways. Dr. Cole
“I stumbled upon Cathi after my recent heart attack that was brought on by stress. I was scared of having another one, and didn’t know what to do. I had lost hope. Working with her has changed my life. I’m so grateful." Debbie – Canada
M.S., a woman in her late forties with progressively more and more disabling rheumatoid arthritis since childhood, whose most recent problems have arisen over the last two to three years as complications of immunosuppressive therapy for her disease. The complications have been associated with the severely disabling chronic pain of recurrent herpes neuralgia for more than three years, and for the past 15 months, recurrent osteomyelitis in her right lower mandible.
The second,
more alarming (even life-threatening) problem has caused months of diagnostic and therapy confusion among her many consultants, three successive resections of the bone over the last six to eight months, and the still ongoing threat of more relapses of the smoldering bone infection and chronic pain only made bearable by chronic, massive doses of opiates.
In the few months since M. began to work with Cathi with several modalities: stress management, therapeutic touch, guided imaging, and others, her life has become more livable, as she has become able to bear the pain and the discouragement of unresolved disease.
She has relied on many of the methods for maintaining hope and getting through overwhelming discouragement by using the inner resources she has learned with Cathi.
My hope as her primary physician, is that Cathi and M. will be able to continue to work together to maintain that inner strength and hope as she faces yet more months of pain, and further repeated surgery.
Thank you for the healing guidance you've been able to give her thus far. Dr. Racer
“I sought out the help of Cathi during my divorce, and found her to be an insightful and compassionate coach. Her ability to see deep into the heart of an emotionally stressful problem is, I believe, unique and I would highly recommend her service to anyone.” P.R. – Brooklyn Center
S., age 48, is a Laotian patient of mine with 15 years of chronic abdominal pain. She has had an extensive medical worked up, and nothing ever worked. Cathi saw her over several months.
S. has improved! Cathi established a trusting relationship with her, and helped her to effectively break through her wall of silence and grief about her son's mental illness, and taught her how to "change her thinking".
S. now comes in smiling, notes some unusual continued symptoms, but no longer has chronic abdominal disabling pain. Dr. Cole
“Control My Stress is so amazing. I want to thank you, again, for such a valuable resource.” Tony.