Stress isn’t something I have to explain. It seems to be the way of life. But in our attempts to de-stress, are we getting more stressed?
Hear me out.
It seems we have more ‘self-help’ books and classes than ever before. Combine that with the trend of self-care and the desire to be healthier; I fear we’re getting more overwhelmed with information than we are taking action because we’re genuinely informed.
I have more people than I can count tell me, “I do everything right, I eat well and exercise, and yet I still gain weight.”
Do you relate?
Or maybe you better relate to this statement, “There’s so much information out there, I don’t even know what to do.”
I think we’re taking something intended for the good of ourselves, health and we’re twisting it into the very thing stealing our health. Even more, we’re ruining our lives by allowing our fixation on the outcome to deter us from fully living where we are.
So my question that I want to answer today, what if what we thought was bad, is actually good and the good bad? Maybe better said, what if our fixation on health is causing more stress? Taking something intended for good, and making it bad.
And what if a little bit of the right stress can be used for our good?
Today on the podcast, I break down good stress vs. bad stress and how to use stress to your advantage – for health and life.
Deep breathes – this could be the beginning of something new and beautiful.
stress is good
Stress is good, but it can also be bad – the difference is built off of a fine line called our perceptions. Have you ever wondered how two people experiencing the same thing in life, say a death, can have two completely different reactions?
One can use it for good, to take something gut-wrenching and horrible and make it good. And another can take it and let it be the very thing that ruins them?
Why is this so, and how is it determined?
It’s all based on our perceptions. In fact, our opinions of life and what is happening around us – you could say the stories you tell yourself – are determining the course of your health.
the hormonal impact of perceptions
It’s hard to relate our emotions to anything but invisible objects floating around in our heads. But it’s our perceptions {or the feelings they create} that are creating the signals inside our brain. These signals tell our body what needs to happen.
You could say, your perceptions are the leader, which tells the control center of our body {your nervous system} how to respond.
Different perceptions or different emotions are commanding the control center to release a completely different set of hormones, neurotransmitters, and electrical impulses based on the perceived emotion.
One path says conserve, store, survive – this is called our sympathetic response.
The other says the release, relax and thrive – this is called our parasympathetic response.
One nor the other is not necessarily better, we actually need both to truly live – but it’s the balance that matters to the scope of our health and well-being.
Balance – it’s a word you’ll hear a lot around here.
stress overdose
Unfortunately, at some point, we’ve been taught to dwell on our stress. Combine that with the fact that our brain is tuned to negativity {because this is how it survives}, and it’s unfortunate that it is easier to see the bad than the good. But not impossible.
However, for far too many people, stress has become a way of life. This creates stress overdose in the body.
Stress overdose tells the body, survive, conserve, and store. Which happens to look a lot like exhaustion, overwhelm, emotional, weight gain, sickness, and any other adverse reaction you can imagine inside the body.
But we know this, we know stress or at least a negative perception of stress is wrong – but what can we do about it.
The only thing we can do is change our perception, which changes the stress.
how to stress-less
The prevailing thought is to get rid of the weight, or at least try to distract yourself from it. But even venting stress, feeds it, giving it more power than we realize. So what is the answer?
The truth that changes stress is our perception of stress.
Yes, it’s taking what is stressful and changing how we view it. Of course, we should still work to eliminate unnecessary stressors, but for the majority of the time, this is impossible, and when you get rid of one, you’ll gain another.
The only real answer is to change how you look at it – maybe to not even view it as stress at all.
re-write your story
Our minds are brilliant and capable of significant change, but one thing we’ll never change is the drive for survival. When it gets an inch of fear, it will take a mile – so rather than giving it, what if you changed how you viewed your life.
To re-write the story and start speaking truth back in.
This is really the only way.
It starts by being aware of the thoughts you fixate on, where your mind tends to run, and asking yourself if this is true. The thing is most of us have created an intricate series of false ideas twisted from our perceptions. And while we’re told, just be more positive, it doesn’t always stick, because we can’t replace one life with another.
You have to go back to those thoughts, understand the perception, look at the situation with fresh eyes, and decide, can I change my perception of this memory?
It may feel like a lot initially, but eventually, you’ll be fast to check those perceptions before they let the chemical flow run wild.
your stress-less checklist
To get started, it may be beneficial to create a stress-less checklist. A place that you can turn to that reminds you of truth but also tangible action you can take to change the course of your fixation.
Step one: Make a list of what brings you back to reality. Helping you slow down and get back in touch with yourself. It could be super simple practices like a hot bath, a good book, a 10-minute walk outside, a call with your good friend.
Step two: Remind yourself of truth. I keep a list of God’s promises that I can turn to, anytime I feel lacking. To remember that nothing of this earth can genuinely satisfy, but it is in Him and Him alone. Start your own list. Even just one Bible verse that you set as your home screen on your phone. Or keep written scripture in little places as a reminder.
Step three: Prayer – it’s the foundation of heart transformation. Let God in and let Him move.
It’s our perceptions – how can we create healthier ones?
Stress-less in the kitchen?
The kitchen is stressful for most of us. It feels like a constant battle of what to make and how to get it on the dinner table before everyone is melting down in front of you.
I want to help teach you a system to de-stress in the kitchen and make healthy food convenient. Inside my Spring Batch Cooking Guide, you’ll get four-weeks of Batch Cooking Recipes, five ways to layer the batched food together, creating healthy meals your family will love.
It’s the most straightforward system I’ve ever used to make health convenient and enjoyable.
Get the guide here and make meal time-stress free.
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