Not all stress is created equal
Stress is part and parcel of modern-day living, and unless you plan on setting up camp with Buddhist monks for the rest of your days, you’re never going to eradicate it completely. And that’s okay.
A little bit of stress is no bad thing: it keeps us on our toes, and pushes us to do better. It only becomes problematic when we’re stressed all of the time, or we don’t adequately recover from prolonged periods of stress.
As a key driver of form, it’s really important to learn to manage your stress levels so they don’t have chance to take over, or take you under.
Some of the tell-tale signs that your stress levels are too high include:
Insomnia and tiredness
Irritability or outbursts of anger
Periods of low mood
Increased reliance on caffeine or alcohol
Reduced productivity and feelings of low achievement
Clouded thoughts
Cynicism and defensiveness
Regular headaches
Reduced sex drive
Restlessness
Weight loss or gain
Shortness of breath or panic attacks
Regular or lingering colds
You see, stress doesn’t only impact our mental health; it has a pretty profound impact on our bodies, too. That’s why recovery from stress is so important: without giving ourselves the time and space we need to process stress, and to restore harmony to our day, our wellbeing starts to plummet.
Stress: the recovery process
Humans are biologically programmed to face stress, then rest and recover. But in our stressed-out world, you’re probably not so great at the recovery part; which makes you even more stressed, and tangles you up in a vicious cycle of low form and suboptimal wellbeing.
Well, not on our watch: we’re here to tell you that NOTHING is more important than looking after your mental health.
After a stressful day at work, a fraught bedtime with the kids, or a series of unfortunate events, the key is to find ways that allow your body to relax, and return to its pre-stressed state. This gives times for your cortisol (a key stress hormone) to get back to normal.
Recovery from stress is all about finding time for you, and switching off from anything that may be triggering your stress levels. But because stress is highly personal, you’re going to need to take a bit of a deep-dive and think about your own stress triggers.
It might be an uncomfortable exercise at first, but when you get down to the nitty gritty and pinpoint exactly what it is that makes your blood pressure rise and your stress levels soar, managing it becomes a whole lot easier.