I’m astounded at how our daily life stresses have crept up over the last 50 years – and how much they’re “pushing our buttons”. And that’s not even counting the terrible strain of the current pandemic.
To remain healthy, in control and free of pain & anxiety, I’ve discovered we need to realise these daily stresses exist, acknowledge they do affect us & then deal with them head on – with daily strategies to help minimize their effect.
I learnt the hard way! When we continue to ignore & suppress our responses to stresses - and just push through - they have a quiet ability to eat away at our foundations – like termites eating into our human architecture and strength - that incredible mindbody support that holds us up & keeps us going.
Ignore Stressors at your Peril!
Through my training I have come to understand that when we ignore these simple, daily stresses, they still build and accumulate their affect on us, gradually gnawing away at our very being - slowly & silently picking off, cell by cell, the wonderful array of complexity and processing that makes up our miraculous minds & bodies.
And as we are all so different, as we are all so unique in our make-up & our experiences – the effect of these daily mini-stresses on each of us is so different. Where one of us may experience dysfunction in one bodily system, another will end up with problems in another system – perhaps gut, perhaps skin, perhaps joints, perhaps muscles, …fascia,… lungs, …bladder/kidney, …liver, …reproductive organs, …nerves, …the immune system, …brain, …&/or our complex pain system…
Pause. Breathe. Observe. Release
If we discover we can’t change the stress itself, noticing, acknowledging, feeling & expressing those emotive stresses may be the key to our learning to live well & in harmony with our “new way” of life, our…
· Overcrowding – on transport, motorways, in our houses, our offices, our streets, our shops
· Traffic queues
· Less access to nature
· Relentless tech issues
· Endless passwords
· Being treated like a machine, rather than a complex, amazing, living human being…
· Excessive workloads & expectations
· Long work hours & commuting distances
· Our fears for the future - pollution, climate change, job, economic & financial stability
· Our fears for the effect of COVID on us, our loved ones & our world
· … & no doubt you have others to add to the list…
Simple Daily Strategies to relieve our Daily Stresses - & Thrive!
We can learn simple techniques that allow us to feel, find, express & release our pushed buttons & the slow, destructive effects of these excessive daily life stressors - for example:
· Expressive writing
· Somatic experiencing
· Trauma Release Exercises
· Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping)
And we can learn simple techniques that calm our elevated stress response - for example:
· Slow, deep breathing
· Mindfulness
· Meditation
· Being in & observing nature, as best as is available
· Regular, enjoyable sufficient exercise
· Regular sufficient sleep
· Moderate, wholesome diet
· Engage in comedy & laughter
· Be kind – to yourself & others
And we can also learn other techniques that empower each one of us to regain our own control over what and how we live our lives - for example:
· Setting effective personal boundaries by…
· Taking full responsibility for our adult choices & circumstances - & our healing
· Accepting that each & everyone of us is a miracle & deserves care
· Realising that saying no is OK
· Regaining lost courage & confidence
· Rewriting our limiting beliefs
· Releasing co-dependency
Engrain New Habits
With a gentle, gradual re-organisation of our daily lives we can learn to live well, without creating dysfunction in one or more of our mind & body systems, without creating pain in our lives.
If this has inspired you to pause & think a little differently, I’d love to hear what you think.
If this has motivated you to find out more about some of the simple strategies - or you would like to learn how to set effective boundaries - please go to www.PhysioConnectDurley.co.uk.