When Stress Keeps You Trapped
Cornelia Starke
Leadership Strategist | Public Speaking Training, Mentoring, Presentations
Stress is a physiological and psychological response to external pressure or demands, also known as stressors, that exceed a person's ability to cope.
Stress can be triggered by a wide range of situations, including work-related demands, personal relationships, financial difficulties, health problems, and major life changes.
The body's response to stress is known as the "fight-or-flight" response, which triggers the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. This response prepares the body to respond to perceived threats by increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate, and by redirecting blood flow to the muscles and away from other organs such as the digestive system.
While stress can be beneficial in some situations, chronic or prolonged stress can have negative effects on both physical and mental health. Chronic stress has been linked to a range of health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Therefore, it is important to manage stress through relaxation techniques, exercise, healthy eating, and other stress-reducing strategies to maintain overall well-being.
But these strategies are not always the answer. Sometimes they work and other times they do not. What is the answer?
As someone who transformed her inner chronic stresses some of the techniques would have not worked for me as stress is a symptom of something bigger. Stress is related to our negative beliefs and how we see ourselves. Not many people have healthy self-esteem and this means are able to connect the frequency from the heart with the brain such as cognitive intelligence. When we understand why there are stress sensors triggering us and one of them is NOT FEELING GOOD ENOUGH, this can cause havoc in our bodies and over a prolonged period of time causes chronic stress and eventually, it can lead to burnout. How did I do it? Through hypnosis and ego state intervention and HeartMath. A lot of education and investements in myself. I am now free from adddictions and it was a stress addiction. Stress is the inner war zone and inner conflict we have. They sit in our heart. This is where the pain is manifested and stress then causes physical symptoms as well such as joint pains or digestive issues.
Do you always attract drama and yet, you do not want it and you maybe even tired of it? But DRAMA always shows up as if you attract drama into your life like a magnet.
?
Stress and emotions
Stress and emotions are closely related and often interact with each other. Emotions refer to the feelings or subjective experiences that are associated with various events, situations, or people, while stress refers to the body's physiological and psychological response to those events or situations.
When we encounter a stressful situation, it can trigger a range of emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, or anxiety. These emotions can further intensify the stress response, creating a feedback loop where stress and emotions feed into each other.
For example,
if a person is experiencing job-related stress, they may feel anxious, overwhelmed, or frustrated. These emotions can then trigger a further stress response, leading to physical symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension, or difficulty sleeping. As the stress response intensifies, it can also exacerbate the person's negative emotions, creating a cycle of stress and negative emotions.
On the other hand, positive emotions such as joy, gratitude, and contentment can help to counteract the negative effects of stress. Positive emotions can activate the body's relaxation response, reducing the impact of stress on physical and mental health.
Overall, managing emotions and stress is important for maintaining well-being. Strategies such as mindfulness, meditation, exercise, and social support can help to reduce stress and promote positive emotions. Additionally, seeking professional help from a mental health provider can be helpful for individuals experiencing chronic or severe stress and emotions. Emotional Intelligence helps to become aware of your emotions and you can perform a body scan on yourself scanning your current emotional state.
Burnout
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that results from prolonged exposure to stress, particularly in the workplace. But not just work. Also your personal relationships or the relationship you are in right now can contribute to burnout. It is often a combination of things. Burnout does not happen from oned ay to the next. It is a process that happens over a period of time. Oftentimes, many years. Burnout can be characterized by feelings of cynicism, detachment, and ineffectiveness, and may lead to a decreased sense of accomplishment and job satisfaction.
Burnout is often caused by chronic workplace stress, which can be due to a variety of factors such as excessive workload, lack of control over work tasks, interpersonal conflicts, and poor work-life balance. Burnout can also be exacerbated by personal factors such as perfectionism, self-doubt, and lack of social support.
Symptoms of burnout can include:
If left untreated, burnout can lead to serious health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is important to recognize the signs of burnout and take steps to prevent and manage it.
Some strategies for preventing and managing burnout include:
Overall, burnout is a serious condition that can have a significant impact on an individual's physical and mental health. By recognizing the signs of burnout and taking proactive steps to manage stress and prioritize self-care, individuals can maintain a healthy work-life balance and prevent burnout.
Heart-Brain Coherence
Heart-brain coherence refers to the state of synchronization and coordination between the heart and brain's electrical signals. It is based on the scientific understanding that the heart has its own nervous system, called the "intrinsic cardiac nervous system," which allows it to function independently of the brain.
Research has shown that when an individual experiences positive emotions such as love, gratitude, and compassion, the heart's rhythm becomes more coherent, which leads to a more harmonious interaction between the heart and brain. This coherence can be measured using a technique called Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis, which measures the variation in time between each heartbeat. When you are more harmonious inside, you attract more harmony into your life. Isn't this what you want? I use a device by HeartMath which allows me to measure the HRV with my clients.
Heart-brain coherence has been associated with a range of benefits, including improved cognitive function, emotional regulation, and physical health. It has also been shown to be an important factor in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.
Practices such as meditation, deep breathing, and mindfulness have been shown to promote heart-brain coherence and can be used to help individuals achieve a more balanced and harmonious state of BEING. We are human BEINGS and not human DOINGS.
The techniques I teach my clients is the HeartMath techniques involving deep breathing with a visualisation through the heart up to the brain to create a connection to allow the heart intelligence to enter the brain for the brain to understand. Deep breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing, is a relaxation technique that involves taking slow, deep breaths from your diaphragm, rather than from your chest. When you inhale deeply, your diaphragm contracts and moves downward, allowing your lungs to expand fully and fill with air. This results in a more efficient exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, which can help reduce stress, anxiety, and promote relaxation.
To practice deep breathing, find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach, just below your ribcage. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose, allowing your stomach to expand as you inhale. Hold your breath for a few seconds, then exhale slowly through your mouth, letting your stomach fall inward as you breathe out.
Repeat this process several times, focusing on your breath and allowing your body to relax with each exhale. You can also try counting to four as you inhale, holding for four seconds, and then exhaling for four seconds.
Deep breathing can be done anytime, anywhere, and is a simple yet effective way to manage stress and improve overall well-being.
I combine all these tools such as hypnosis, conversational hypnosis, ego state intervention and HeartMath breathing to give my clients the best outcome for their long-lasting successes without any stresses.
At the end of the day, it is about working smart and so not hard.