Stress overwhelm – are you self-sabotaging your own life?
Is it time to take action?
by Annette J Beveridge
STRESSORS impact us all but how you react to those pressures can either help to lift the weight of concern from your shoulders or drag you into an unhealthy spiral. We often wonder about the ‘what if’s’ in life and veer towards the negative rather than the positive.
Sound familiar?
Don't ignore stress - face it
Sadly, many people will try to ignore their stress levels and just carry on rather than addressing the stress triggers which cause all the problems. This simply puts you in a reactive mode rather than being proactive. When life seems like a series of problems, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed so rather than ignoring stress, write down those stress triggers and learn to take on one stressor at a time. Just by taking action you will feel better.
The sleep conundrum
When stressed, it's easy to fall into an unhealthy sleep cycle. We all know the frustrations of being unable to sleep. But this lack of sleep makes us more reactive to stressors. We have less patience, and less desire to make changes.
Life becomes harder as you yawn your way through the day.
Cognitive functioning will also dip because the brain cannot be as sharp when fatigue is present and this can easily lead to the wrong choices being made and entering a cycle of anxiety.
When stressed, the mind often goes into overdrive. Think of a time when you have been desperate for sleep but the mind starts racing the moment you slip into bed. Learning how to clear the mind with meditation is useful, and it really helps but it doesn’t cure the unresolved stressors that are really keeping you awake.
Overloading life
Do you do too much in life?
Some people feel that they have to constantly be on the go. Every part of life is filled – taking the children to school, rushing to work, meeting a friend for lunch, reversing the routine on the way home, and then dashing out to an evening event. This can lead to deep feelings of stress because we all need to relax.
Take a look at your schedule, how cluttered is it? Sometimes, we deliberately overload life and this can be through not wishing to spend time alone, or trying to combat negative self-critical thoughts or being in an environment which is not conducive to health and wellbeing.
You may not have learned how to say no to all the demands on your time.
Stop Procrastinating
We've all had those times when life has seemingly put us in a stranglehold of inaction. We procrastinate more and become anxious by our own inactivity. It is all too easy to slip into unproductive thinking patterns at this point.
Procrastination often occurs through feeling stressed, depressed, or overwhelmed. If thoughts are muddled, the way forward is not remotely clear but learning to take even one small step out of procrastination can be incredibly empowering.
Own it
The fact is, we cannot play avoidance when life spirals out of control. We have to take responsibility and own it.
It’s your life and you can shape it how you want.
Remember that leaving stress to build does not make life easier but more difficult. You may respond to someone or something in a way that is not like you at all. Then, comes more guilt or anger.
Don’t take on the world. Make subtle changes. One step at a time. Write down every stress trigger, then prioritise in the way you can tackle them. These may be the smallest stressors first but baby steps are ok. Once you own your stress levels and realise you can take action and alter those triggers, life will suddenly feel a lot more manageable and happy.
