Did you realize you’re a manager?  If you have children, especially of different ages, you have to manage meals, schedules, and other activities.  As a business owner, you have to manage people, payroll, ordering, production and other systems within your business.  In each scenario, the idea is to keep the household or the business functioning properly and efficiently.  To keep yourself functioning in a similar manner, you also need to

Manage Your Stress

Managing your stress means different things to different people.  For one person, an afternoon nap might do the trick; for another, taking a walk or just closing his eyes and breathing deeply for a few minutes helps bring things into perspective.  No matter the technique, the goal is the same:  Allowing you to meet the challenge ahead, whether it’s a known challenge (strict deadline) or a surprise (car accident).

Manage Your StressStress & The Body

If you are or have been around a workaholic, then you may have already experienced the effects of stress on one’s body.  Headaches, ulcers and grouchiness may be attributed to one’s personality.  As well, it’s possible these characteristics are symptoms of some daily or chronic stress in one’s life.  Although downing a Tums (or 20) might help in the short run, however the longer the symptoms persist, the worse the problem may become.  Watch Coach K explain why it’s important to tackle your stress.

Triggers

The Mayo Clinic describes at least 18 different effects of stress on the body, on mood and on behavior.  While life will not allow us to live “stress-free”, we can do a little digging into our habits and behaviors to find the actual cause behind an unwanted physical, emotional or even spiritual symptom.  Allaya Cooks-Campbell defines a “trigger” as:

“…a person, place, thing, or situation that elicits an intense or unexpected emotional response.  Essentially, a non-threatening stimulus is triggering an autonomic (fight-or-flight) response.”

There is no “one-trigger-fits-all” because triggers are unique to one’s personal experiences.  Responses can be anything from unexplained sweating to full out panic attacks; negative thoughts to avoiding situations.  Cooks-Campbell lists four ways we can recognize triggers:

  • Notice your feelings
  • Acknowledge that something IS bothering you
  • Listen to yourselfManage Your Stress
  • Check your feelings

In addition, she gives five steps to help you recognize your triggers:

  • Memorize your reaction
  • Take a break
  • Understand your feelings
  • Work with a professional
  • Take care of yourself

Taking Steps To Manage Your Stress

In a related article, Cooks-Campbell describes coping mechanisms as “the patterns and behaviors we fall back on to try to deal with unusually stressful situations. We often lean on these strategies to keep ourselves calm until we adjust to the change.”  Many times, coping mechanisms can help you realign your thinking and behavior to better deal with the situation at hand.  However, it’s possible to use unhealthy coping strategies, like substance abuse to dull the hurt or pain we feel.  In such cases, we do much more harm in the long run.

As Cooks-Campbell points out “When we shift into our coping strategies, we unconsciously go into “problem-solving” mode. Our ways of coping highlight the areas of a situation that we actually have some control over.”  She outlines three things to focus on when using a coping mechanism:

  • Identify the feeling as “frustration”
  • Determine which mechanism to use
  • Control what you can control

Manage Your Stress With MissionFiT

Manage Your StressThe basis of MissionFiT is the five-fold-fitness model:

  • Emotional
  • Social
  • Spiritual
  • Mental
  • Physical

While many people may come to MissionFiT for the physical aspect, many more stay because of the community and the bonds created when they find care for the other aspects of their overall health.  When they first join the MissionFiT family, athletes are encouraged to complete the ReStart Your Heart training, available online.  Included in this training is extensive information on stress, depression, trauma/PTSD, grief and boundaries

 

In addition, you will want to review lessons related to Sin, Stress & Health:  Lessons One, Two & Three.  These are also found in the ReStart Your Heart Training.

Take some time to review this important information to create a “stress-response” plan for yourself.  Then practice your plan.  You will be glad you did!

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