Stress doesn't need to be stressful

A few years back, when I realised my blood pressure was a little high, I spoke to someone whose opinion I value a lot. He told me that our bodies deal with a great amount of stress and that this stress accumulates as we juggle our various tasks and responsibilities, even if we aren’t aware of it. 

I’ve been reflecting on what he said as we face this crisis. Like many others who work for themselves, my income has ground to a halt. I decided to take this unprecedented crisis as an opportunity to learn about stress.

 ‘You can’t change the things you can’t change, but you can choose your reaction to them.’

This is something I was told recently and it made an impact. In this time of great anxiety, I’ve been lucky to have a community of extremely positive people around me. In the first few days after my flow of income stopped, anxious thoughts flooded my mind – thoughts about the bills that needed to be paid and the commitments I’d made to various causes and charities. I was overwhelmed, to the point that I could think of little else. That’s when an idea came to me.

What if I thought of this time as a vacation?

Yes, this is a vacation that was forced on me, but after years and years spent caught up in the rat race, a forced break might not necessarily be bad. Employees around the world have lost their jobs. On the other hand, healthcare professionals have faced the opposite problem. The kind of emotional and physical stress doctors and nurses have been exposed to can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, if not managed properly. It’s now more vital than ever that we learn techniques to manage our stress and pass them on to people who haven’t been equipped with these life-saving skills. We know that people who face high-risk situations, like the Armed Forces or people who live in war-zones, experience these kinds of stresses every day. The average citizen, however, does not have the training or education to deal with that level of stress. Learning to manage our stress levels can make all the difference, for us and for the people we love the most. Until now, I haven’t had the courage to stop working for long enough to think about what it is I want to do and to connect with my life’s purpose. This crisis was not something we chose, but it can become the best thing that’s ever happened to us.

Imagine a child in conversation with his grandfather in 2095. He might ask his grandfather about the pandemic that shook the world in the ‘20s, and ask him if he’d been scared. Wouldn’t it be amazing if his grandfather said that that time was one of the best memories he had of his childhood? That his father had been home all day and they’d played together, tried out new board games and talked as they never had the opportunity to before? ‘It must have been stressful for Dad, now that I think about it,’ he might say. ‘But I guess Dad chose to make the best of his situation.’

So, while the global community is doing its best to keep its head up and keep paddling as we face a medical crisis the likes of which few of us have seen before, here are my 10p worth of thoughts on how I have managed my anxiety, when it feels like the world is going up in flames:

Handle it at your own pace ??

We don’t know how long this crisis will last. We don’t know what effects it will have on the future. Worrying about how long it's taking you to get used to the situation will only make you feel worse.

Talk about it ??

This is something we're facing together, as a community. Talk to your spouse, your family members, your spiritual mentors and your friends about what you're going through. Be humble and learn from other people. They probably have tips to help you deal with your stress and grow more resilient in these tough times.

Accept your feelings without judgement ??

It's completely normal to feel anxious during a pandemic. Notice your stress and the physical changes it produces in your body. Don't judge, just observe.

Eat well and exercise ??

When it comes to exercise, I’ve always hidden behind the ‘I’m too busy’ mantra. You’ve only got one body. By neglecting it, you risk an early death, as well as a poor quality-of-life when you’re older. Thankfully, my spouse is great at providing us with healthy food, so all I need to do is eat what I need, no more and no less.

Don't look at the news if it bothers you ??

If you find yourself checking the infection rates in your area again and again, it might be time to step away from your favourite news source. The world won't stop turning because you stop checking the news.

How have you been dealing with the lock down blues?

Do let me know in the comments.

We’ll be discussing the topic ‘How to Deal with Stress in Life, Family and Work’ on Saturday, 18th April, 2020 at 09:30 with Dr. Katrin Brauer.

You can find out more and sign-up for the talk here.

Use the coupon code ‘COACHINGCIRCLE1MONTHFREE’ to get one month of coaching for free. If you feel the program isn’t for you, you can cancel at any time.

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