How to get clear when stress messes with your emotions
In this podcast we're talking about the impact stress can have on our emotions and the steps we can take to get back in step when we feel spun out.
Stress affects our concentration, our ability to make plans and our relationships. Perhaps the toughest part of living with stress is the disturbing effect it has on our emotions.
Stress brings an internal chaos that can cause us to loose sight of ourselves. Our thoughts and emotions get mixed up or “murky”. Like a pond where the mud is stirred up and the water looks cloudy, we need to settle to regain some sense of stillness and let our head clear.
To find clarity you first need to pause to notice your responses to the bumps in your life.
Check the list below and see if you find yourself doing/or feeling any of the following:
Feeling generally burdened or overwhelmed
Reacting disproportionately to minor upsets. In other words blowing up, or getting upset over things that wouldn’t usually bother you.
Things feeling much bigger than they really are.
Feeling impatient with, or critical of, others.
Feeling impatient with, or critical of, yourself.
Holding on to upsets rather than being able to drop things and move on.
Feeling like your thoughts and response are you and that’s “just the way you are” and can’t be changed.
Do any of the above click with you?
If so, you will benefit from some self-care action steps.
Stress filled thoughts and emotions often come when we are out of step with ourselves and our values.
Think about the following possible causes and note the ones that apply:
Are you taking care of yourself? Getting out in nature? Getting enough rest? Practicing your Anxiety Slayer skills like: breathing, tapping or guided relaxation.
Are you allowing sufficient time for journeys, meetings etc or are you always rushing?
Are you living in the moment, or is your mind revisiting an anxious past or projecting a worrying future.
Note if you have been recently ill, or overtired.
And, of course, note if you have been through a traumatic time or event in recent months.
All of the above can cause us to start spinning out of control. We all do it from time to time - it’s natural. When it becomes a problem is when we try and power on, push through, keep going.
The solution is to slow down and re-balance.
It doesn’t mean stopping or giving up, it means allowing some time for a think, some journaling, some breathing, or tapping if there is something you want to clear, a walk, 20 minutes with a colouring book or reading an inspiring book, talking with a friend, a massage, or a hot bath with Epsom salts.
Little spots of special time for self care every day and soon you will feel a return to clarity and greater emotional peace.
Rest, breathe and use your tools and if you need some extra help look us up on Amazon or the iTunes music store.
Listen to the full podcast here:
Photo credit: Woman pondering... via photopin(license)