Destress!
Stress Management is the buzz. We are learning and accepting that time is well spent nurturing both our mind and body. Unfortunately, when life gets busy, time for stress management is usually the first to be eliminated. As a psychiatrist and advocate for stress management, I believe that self-care is the most important factor in stress management and sustained wellness.
Self-Care Neglect
Why is self-care so difficult? The feeling of “wellness” is intangible. Adopting the recommendation of stress management is often viewed as optional, and many assume that we are unable to manage stress felt by their daily sense of inner emotional uneasiness and turmoil. The negotiation with stress management is difficult since it requires time to discover tools and practice them.
What changes this dialogue in your head? Yes, you can change your circumstances! Step one is connecting your life dots. The day you admit to yourself that your daily pain is not normal and you have the right to change it, starts the healing journey. It often takes an inexplicable scary physical symptom or problem to make us stop and analyze our lifestyle. The physical discomfort forces us to make an appointment with a health provider. Oftentimes, the test results are “normal”, meaning that the health care provider is not able to identify a physical condition to be treated. The health provider’s conversation changes to your life stress and your need to make changes. This event maybe the final straw to push you to consider the lifestyle change option.
Stress Diagnosis Minimized
A stress diagnosis does not minimize the severity of the condition. The source of the physical problem may be stress, even though it was not detectable through tests. If left untreated, stress has been known to have severe negative impacts. Many believe It is easier to find a pill for a health problem then the hard work of lifestyle changes. Women have been traditionally seen as nurturers, caregivers and problem solvers for their families, friends and in their workplaces. Often their caregiving role allows them to easily both delay and minimizes the importance of their own self-care and stress management.
The health provider’s office results have now left you with more options. The next step is the negotiating with the desire to find the road to denial on your GPS. The thoughts in your head assume the blood tests and the doctor is wrong! How could your body create such pain? “This problem must be physical since it is so painful.”
Our brain alerts us with bodily signs when we are overly stressed. Every organ in the body has specific signals which communicate that there is a problem with that organ. For example, we recognize that chest pain relates to the heart, and that shortness of breath relates to the lungs. The brain also tries to get our attention to let us know that something is amiss, but we are not as good at recognizing these signals. Having low mental energy, abrupt mood swings, memory difficulties, being easily distracted and frequently fatigued can all be signs that our brains are stressed.
The Stress Management 360
We are generally not taught to be aware of our brain, so many miss or ignore the signs their brain is giving them. So, how do you manage and modify sudden feelings of being overwhelmed, fatigued and on edge? There are stress-reducing tools available that can help you to do this. Recognizing your mental state and using stress modifiers starts the journey of empowerment and self-control. These prescribed brain health therapies can provide an undervalued benefit of highlighting the importance of monitoring your mood. Unfortunately, most individuals have no clue of the impact their moods have on their ability to self-care and sustain their daily wellness.
The Happiness Secret
The secret to your life happiness and joy is your brain. This powerhouse brain organ, like your heart, requires care, which can best be provided by stress management. Many miss the opportunity to achieve their greatest potential by not being able to achieve sustained time efficiency and productivity by managing their brain and stress. Brain care is the key that unlocks your optimal abilities.
What is your non-negotiable stress management tool!