Day 179 - Taking the Sting out of Stress, Anxiety and Worry

Whenever I have a tough decision to make, or I'm working through a difficult experience or situation, I want to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason. Those three conditions help me to frame my thinking and free me from excessive worry as I plan a course of action. Sometimes a little bit (or even a lot) of stress, worry or anxiety is unavoidable. We have these feelings because they are an appropriate response to situations that need our attention. When I feel the discomfort of stress in my body, or my mind is racing looking for a solution to a problem I'm experiencing, I know that I need to take action. When I avoid action or avoid creating a plan, it allows worry and anxiety to take hold and I can become focused on my problem, rather than on the solution. Feeling stress is my body's way of telling me that I am facing some kind of threat to my well-being - be it emotional or physical. Without that alerting mechanism, I might not act in a way that is in my own best interest.

 

I've had plenty of experience with stress in my life - and who hasn't? Many situations have been on-going and the stress was like a quiet buzz, always there, but after a while, it just becomes part of the landscape. I have lots of strategies for managing my stress and I use them. That "buzz" kind of stress responds well to quiet contemplation, a massage, writing it out, talking it through, taking a walk or even just a long hot bath. But every now and then I am faced with a situation that makes that quiet buzz a roar. I can feel the physical release of stress hormones pumping into my body. Those situations require immediate attention and a solid plan of action.

 

High stress situations are the alerting mechanism that calls for more than a just a few minutes relaxing with a cup of tea. They require me to jump into action, and I'm usually pretty good in a crisis. First I figure out the problem, then get a handle on what it means to me. Maybe I talk it over with a trusted friend or colleague, then I plan my course of action. Once I implement my plan I have to let go and let it play out without too much attachment to the outcome. That's the hardest part for me. I need to accept what is, and what isn't, in my realm of influence. I have anxiety and worry and stress, but what I don't need to do is let it control my thinking or my emotions. I have tools to set me free.