Managing stress can be difficult and the effects it has on the body, psyche and spirit can be hard to see. I recently went on a very relaxing vacation and spent time on a beautiful beach with my wife. In the middle of the trip, I received some stressful news and suddenly became aware of how my back tension returned (I didn’t realize it was gone until that moment), my jaw became tense, my heart rate increased, my judgement became clouded, and I felt quite irritable. What a contrast in experience – going from absolute relaxation to an intense alarmed state.
It was a beautiful gift to see how stress affects me and to see how my stress affected my wife. Wow. So, on my own personal health journey I am encouraging myself to maintain a healthy level of stress by maintaining a reasonable work load and having outlets for stress. My stress management tools include spending time with my family, running, working out, and going for walks. I like to eat well and take my multi-vitamin to help maintain my endurance. I like to share my dreams, goals, and vulnerabilities with friends and loved ones. I like to meditate.
What works for you to reduce the amount of stress you experience and shift your response to stressful events?
For more information on coping with stress, please listen to my podcasts on Kava, belly breathing, and depression.