Truth be told, I think I've always been stressed; probably because I inherited 'the worry habit'. I've laid awake nightly for most of my life, worrying and fretting about everything from work and finances to kids and weight. When I look back on it all now, I don't think there was ever a time in my life that I wasn't stressed about something.
As troublesome as stress can be sometimes though, there are also plenty of ways that we can find a practical use for it in our lives. Stress can help hold us accountable to commitments we've made; it can nudge us towards making decisions we've been holding off on making; it can force us to learn and to grow by pushing us out of our comfort zones, and it can also encourage us to take action in times where we find ourselves frozen in fear.
Like I think most people do, however, I've always viewed stress as something that was bad. And of course, stress can be bad when it gets out of control, or if it continues in an unhealthy way or at an unhealthy level for an extended period of time. After all, stress isn't something that humans were designed to carry in large amounts over the long-term.
Much like anything else, stress is something we need to examine closely, in order to get a better understanding of how it's impacting us in our lives. I was actually forced to do this when I suffered from burnout just a few short months ago, and out of all I've gained from going through this experience, it is a much keener sense of awareness that has been the greatest benefit of all to me thus far.
We all know that unmanaged stress can take a major toll on the body, but most of us have no idea what that can actually look like when it finally comes to a head.
For me, I had known for months that it was becoming unmanageable, but much like everyone else seems to do, I thought I could just keep pushing through it. My body had been doing everything it could to get my attention, and even though I was aware of what it was saying, I guess I just wasn't listening loudly enough.
It was during those eventual excruciating, middle of the night panic attacks, with my heart and head pounding and my body freezing as the blood rushed to my organs to protect me, that I was finally able to hear what my body had been trying and was ultimately forced to scream into my consciousness. I really needed to stop what I was doing.
Could I have saved myself from all that agony if I had listened to my body a bit sooner? Without a doubt. But the beautiful thing about life, even with all of it's trials and tribulations, is that there is ALWAYS something positive that can come out of any situation - you just have to be willing to look for it. Fortunately, that skill is something I have managed to incorporate into my life.
For me, in regards to my own situation, there are almost too many positives to count. I've not only learned some really valuable lessons about building boundaries, practising self care and allowing yourself to process through and actually feel your emotions, but I've also gained an acute awareness around my own personal limitations.
I don't believe it's really necessary for everyone to have to go through as traumatic and painful an experience as I did, in order to reap the benefits of listening to your body, but I do feel it's worth sharing what you've learned so that other people can benefit from your experiences. If you've been feeling like stress has been impacting you in your life, and you think you might be interested in doing some examination of your own, I'd like to offer you some ideas that could help.
Here are 3 Things Burnout Has Taught Me About Handling Stress:
Remember that stress is simply a signal - nothing more, nothing less. We can perceive it as a villain or a threat, but it only becomes so when we continually choose to ignore it. Stress is simply our body's natural way of alerting us that something is wrong. The key is to pay attention to it, to examine where it's coming from and what it is trying to tell you, and then act accordingly. But just like any of your other bodily defences, it can't help you if you keep resisting or fighting it.
Stress can provide you with an incredible amount of information. Your body is an amazing and extremely intelligent system. The more you become mindful about how it works, the more benefits you can glean from it. When you become attuned to your stress, you will begin to learn so much more about what matters to you, what triggers you, what your limitations are, when you need to change direction and even which direction you need to go. Learning to pay attention to my stress has also taught me where I need to set boundaries, when I need to distance myself and when I need to practise better self-care. On top of all that, I've also learned that when faced with a challenge I've been struggling with for some time, it forces me to consider different ways of looking at things so I can come up with a better solution.
Stress doesn't just come and go, it fluctuates based on conditions. Life's natural laws are powerful forces to behold. Our subconscious minds are directly and immediately responsive to the suggestions of our conscious minds. Deep down, our truth is constantly communicating to us about where our true north star lies. Our varying levels of stress give us the ability to navigate towards that north star, because the further we move away from it, the greater our stress level becomes. When used intelligently, our stress can become a virtual guidance system, because once you're paying attention, you'll notice that it will redirect you when choosing things that aren't meant for you. How brilliant is that?
Ultimately, burnout caused me to step back and really re-evaluate everything in my life. It was more than a difficult and painful way to learn, but it has given me the opportunity to recognize so much more about what is and isn't good for me. If I had to get completely knocked out in order to get it, then I have to take responsibility for that and find a way to make the most of it, which is exactly what I need and intend to do.
Stress may not be the most comfortable way for your body to communicate with you, but when you think about it, that's actually kind of the whole point. Discomfort is, after all, the only thing that ever drives people to create positive change in their lives.
What's the biggest challenge you are facing in your life right now? How is that impacting you and what would it mean for you if you could overcome it? I can show you how to overcome this and any other kind of challenge quickly and easily. I can teach you how to solve complex problems with simple solutions, so you can get the results you want while saving you time, money and pain. Would that be something you would be interested in?
Contact me to find out how you can receive a one hour Complimentary Coaching Consultation Session. This free session can help you get clear about what has been holding you back, and give you the opportunity to create a powerful strategic action plan to help you achieve your goals! Click on the link below or call (709) 743-6426 to schedule your free Consultation Session today!
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About the author
Tamara Dodgson is a Certified Strategic Intervention Coach and owner with Forward Coaching and Consulting Services. Utilizing the most powerful principles and strategies from master Strategic Interventionists, Tamara offers a sound, knowledgeable and dependable methodology for change. She has successfully helped her clients navigate through hundreds of unique and challenging life situations, often involving complex issues such as addictions, divorce, and criminal proceedings. Tamara empowers her clients by helping them identify what they want, teaching them successful and proven strategies for change and providing them with measurable and lasting results. You can connect with her on Facebook at Forward Coaching & Consulting Services, on LinkedIn at Tamara Dodgson, or on her website at www.tamaradodgson.com.
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