Dealing with Stress

Stress wreaks havoc on our mind and our body. We will examine the impact of stress and use traffic as an example. If you do not commute back and forth to work, just imagine you are leaving town on your vacation.

We are on our way to work; we have traveled the same route a million times. We know exactly how long it will take us to get there. In our mind, we are good to go. Our journey begins. Our mind starts to think about what we have on our agenda for today. We should have received the documents we need from our client. We have three important meetings today, and numerous phone calls to return. We have such a busy day ahead of us.

We have been on the road for fifteen minutes when traffic starts to slow down. This is not a good sign as we still have a long commute. Then the unthinkable happens, we are at a dead stop. Our mind is trained to think that this is just temporary and we will begin to move in a minute or so. Our body starts to react by fidgeting. We start by going through the numerous radio stations. We play with our hair and tap our fingers.

In the last twenty minutes traffic has barely moved. Our rational mind thinks, if we were to get out and walk, we would make more progress. We pull out our iPads and check our emails; we post a few things while we wait. There are no construction signs so it must be a gaper’s delay. Time has gone by slowly and we lack the concentration needed to focus on anything. The sweet smell of success is starting to fade with every minute. Our body is all tensed up.

We call the office and get upset because no one has arrived yet. We try continuously to reach someone. We left early today due to our heavy schedule, but time is going by fast. Finally, a voice at the other end! Our mind and body are so worked up at this point that we are rude to the person that answers the phone. “I am stuck in traffic, if I’m not there in a half hour; I will have to reschedule my 9:00 am appointment.” The conversation ends and our mind thinks; this is not a good way to start our busy day.

We start to move again but at this point our mind and body have been put into overdrive. We think about what lies ahead for the rest of the day. What else could go wrong? We go through our list from A to Z. We are well versed in the sales presentation that we have to present later on today. We have done our research and learned the product knowledge needed for our 2:00pm appointment today. All our bases are covered. We have waited a long time for this day to come, the fruition of all our hard labor is at stake.

We have finally arrived at work. We are late; we are as intact as one can be given our long delay. We are rattling off demands as soon as we walk in the office. “Get me this and get me that, let our clients know that we’ve arrived and will be in in a moment.”

We walk in our office and set our briefcase down. We go in the bathroom and splash a little water on our face and take a deep breath. We straighten our tie and smile a big smile. Off to the conference room we go. Welcome…

This is one single situation that had our mind and body on a roller coaster ride. Our mind wandered and our body became all tensed up. If the rest of our day went well our body would adjust. If our day wreaked more havoc, our mind and body would feel the effects as well.

How can we alleviate some of our stress? We need a deterrent. We need to carry a relaxing CD in our vehicle. This could be music, an audio book, or a CD that offers you a course of study, etc. We want to keep our mind off the current, stressful situation. Next, you have to take time to de-stress. The stress is there; in your voice, in your composure, and in your attitude. If you don’t take the time to eliminate the stress that’s built up, you will carry it with you throughout the day. Even if you don’t notice it right away, it is there lurking and will show its ugly head eventually. If you can splash a little water on your face or dab a little with your finger, put it on your forehead, in front of your ear, etc. it will help. If you have a moment during your day, take a couple of minutes to meditate. Take your mind to a peaceful, relaxing place. Your mind and body just got off a roller coaster ride, give it time to adjust.

Stress builds up and wreaks havoc on your mind and body. If you take this one situation and compound it with others you might be a candidate for stress related health issues down the road. You have to de-stress! Everyone de-stresses differently. To some it’s a good book, a night of bowling or a workout. When we don’t de-stress we might tend to overindulge in things that are bad for our bodies.

Oh, and that disagreement you had; was it really about that particular situation or was it a combination of others as well? Remember, you carry your stress with you everywhere you go and everything you do. You have to clear out all the negative energy and replace it with good energy. So, take a moment and visualize calming scenes and thinking positive thoughts. Light some scented candles, our bodies respond to aromas.

Start or end your day with a hot shower or bath. Every drop of water nourishes your body and soul. You are literally rinsing away all the worries and tension of the day. You are extracting impurities from your body and clearing your mind of all negativity. Water is such a great form of healing and works wonders for your soul.