Feeling stressed-out after Christmas? I’ll also bet you were even more stressed out before Christmas!
How many people do you know, perhaps on occasions, even yourself, who tell you they suffer from stress? They are really stressed, everything is getting on top of them and that they have suffered for ages. They feel under pressure, sometimes to unimaginable levels.
STRESS DOESN’T ACTUALLY EXIST!
Now if I went on to say ‘stress’ doesn’t actually exist, these would be the first people to disagree with me. What I mean by that statement is that you cannot actually ‘catch’ stress, there aren’t ‘stress virus particles’ flying around the air, in the same way that you can inhale or contract other, airborne diseases, such as Influenza or Avian Flu.
Stress can be described, effectively, as a reaction to a situation or perhaps a response to a circumstance. Many of you will have heard of ‘white coat syndrome’ where someone, for example, who attends a GP surgery to have their blood pressure taken, suddenly has high blood pressure, due to the situation they find themselves in. Many of you will have been to the dentist for that filling, long overdue, and as you are watching the clock for your appointment time in the waiting room, anxiety and tension rises, and you start to feel out of control. The levels in each and everyone of us can differ enormously, yet think about this… all of these are reactions in your mind, nothing has actually happened as yet!
Even if you are the ‘coolest cucumber’ in the world, imagine yourself, alone in a wood and as you turn a corner, the biggest, fiercest Grizzly Bear confronts you, standing on it’s hind legs, teeth bared and growling. How do you feel? Get the picture?
Stress is the way the mind responds to a situation or circumstance, and with the mind being such a phenomenal tool, has the ability to work for you… but sadly, on occasions, it can work against you as well, (too often, if you allow it to).
FANCY SOME TIME TRAVEL?
Like a scene out of Doctor Who, the mind has the ability to undertake time-travel, on a daily basis. Think, if you will, for a moment about what you did yesterday morning. Now think about what you may be doing tomorrow morning and you’ll soon get the idea that the mind is continually tracking backwards and forwards, normally, with the help of the thinking, process driven left brain, analysing what has happened and perhaps, what ‘might’ happen. You may hear yourself saying, ‘Why did I do that’? ‘If I hadn’t done that’? ‘Why does it always happen to me’? You’ll know many people that are continually saying this to themselves, without actually doing anything about it! As an opposite, you also jump forward in time, planning your day and week ahead, perhaps arranging your holiday itinerary, even a shopping trip, etc. and again, you’ll know people who, before it has even happened, will be imagining how bad the week ahead will be! (For those, it probably will be, but more of that later).
When we start to overthink, either the past or what we perceive to be the future, then that can undoubtedly increase our stress levels, yet there is only one moment that we can control and that is the here and now. The past has gone, analyse it as much as you wish, but it won’t change. Of course, learn from it and use it as a learning point which can shape what you do for the rest of your life, but it will never actually change. Similarly, you can influence what happens tomorrow, but you cannot 100% control what will happen. Life may throw us a curved ball, outside/external influences can start to shape what will happen in the future. The only moment we can control is now.
BECOME LESS STRESSED RIGHT NOW
So how do you even begin to become less-stressed? Well one of the proven methods, and something that each and everyone of us can do, is breathing. Controlled breathing together with the correct focus has been proven to lower stress, anxiety and blood pressure. So why do people get caught on the merry-go-round of their life and suffer due to unacceptable stress levels. (I say unacceptable, because a manageable amount of stress is a good thing, it drives us on, motivates us, etc, but again, that’s something I’ll discuss on another day). Focussing on the moment and controlled breathing is often referred to as meditation and you can meditate whenever you choose to, it really is up to you.
You may know people, whose anxiety and stress levels are, quite frankly, unacceptable. It affects not only their day to day work and social lives, it can have long-lasting effects on their general health, lowering the immune system and leaving them susceptible to all manner of illnesses. Yet, for most, it really doesn’t have to be that way. For a few sufferers, it seems incredible that instead of moving away from the source of their stress, they are actually drawn towards it. The whole situation or circumstance that has caused the stress and illness, becomes a ‘safety net’ to them. It may seem bizarre, but again, you may know people like this, constantly stating that ‘One day, they will do this, or one day they will do that…. yet it never actually happens… What they effectively do is wallow in exactly the thing that is causing them stress, like a constant downward spiral, merely increasing stress levels. Again, you will know people that do eventually (and hopefully) get themselves out of whatever situation they are in that is causing their stress and anxiety… and one of their first responses is ‘I don’t know why I didn’t do this earlier’. The fact is many people know what they need to do, but do not have that courage, determination or conviction to change; sometimes they just need a helping hand.
Current research shows us that meditation can have a huge impact on our positivity, in turn increasing our health and wellbeing. Some people insist they do not have enough time in their lives to meditate, and perhaps they are right! Maybe they are just too busy fighting the stress to actually try something different that could help them. Just five to ten minutes meditating each day can start to have a huge impact on your own life. Surely you are worth that investment?
WHAT TO DO NEXT
If this really does intrigue you and you’d like to know a little more about how you can reduce your stress levels and embark on the journey of meditation, then contact us on the details below. Dates are currently being sourced for workshops, to help you, right now.
Simply email us info@imduk.com to register your interest and join our email list, we’ll gladly keep you informed.
We look forward to hearing from you.
IMD UK 