We all have stress, whether we are career people or parents at home; in our 20s or our 50s. Each of us goes through stressful situations in our lives – ups and downs are an inevitable part of life.Luckily there are ways in which we can better manage our responses to the stressful situations in life. Let’s look at how we can use mindfulness to reduce stress by exploring the following topics:
In small quantities, stress can be good. It can be motivational and help you to be more productive. We are finely tuned to respond protectively during periods of stress and then recover. This is acute stress or sometimes known as ‘good stress’ – it is essential to life, it helps us to respond to emergencies, and increases the level of performance.The nature of stress is not as important as the amount of it. When the amount of stress exceeds an individual’s tolerance level, that boost in performance can start to decline. When stress gets too much and becomes out of control it affects our whole being. Stress affects us on a physical, emotional, and mental level.We are not meant to be under stress for a prolonged period, this is when damage occurs.Stress acts on the sympathetic nervous system, creating a ‘flight or fight’ response. When this is triggered, the body goes into survival mode. This reaction has its place when there is an occasional threat to our wellbeing, but people who are constantly in a state of stress never give the body a chance to recover. This can result in one becoming burnt-out, unproductive, and completely run down. In the long run, this can take a severe toll on a person’s health.They don’t call stress the ‘silent killer’ for nothing!The good news is that we can shape our stress response. We can be more aware in the moment, and we can rethink it. ‘I am going to use the extra surge of adrenalin to boost my performance’ rather than ‘I’m getting stressed, this is bad’. This change in thought pattern and response can be difficult to choose in the moment and is where the practice of mindfulness comes into play when dealing with stress.
Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or anxious.Have you ever reacted in an excessive way to an event that is out of proportion when you think of your reaction later on? Usually, this happens when we are under pressure and feel anxious or vulnerable. At other times, when feeling calm, we can manage major stressors without too much effort. Often, the stress is unnecessary.What would be considered unnecessary stress?
Day after day, our thoughts and emotions are driving changes in our bodies. If you think of an initial negative thought persistently, it becomes a belief.If we can build up our inner resources, we can be more resilient and capable of responding.
Stress can have a significant and unhealthy impact on our whole beings. We can change our relationship with stress by changing the way we perceive it. As we form adaptive ways to address stress, we become responsive rather than reactive in overwhelming and challenging situations.A helpful mindful practice tool is affirmations – choosing to think and speak truthful positive thoughts. As you repeatedly affirm these positive thoughts and beliefs, these qualities will come through in your everyday life and in everything you do. You will begin to find these attitudes influencing your thoughts and experiences.
The words we speak and think hold great sway over the kind of life that we create for ourselves. Many people might have a stream of negative thoughts in their minds. The subconscious tends to accept these statements. But similarly, it is also equipped to instantly accept the accuracy of our affirmations.An affirmation is a conscious thought which tends to be positive and powerful and aims to support you in some way. Affirmations are statements chosen and spoken consciously. Once they enter the realm of consciousness, they also enter our subconscious mind where they have the power to change our lives.Using affirmations can be a great way to tap into your strengths, focus on the good in your life, uplift your mood and create a more positive reality.When we are stuck in a particular situation that provides challenges to our mental and emotional selves, finding an authentic healing affirmation can be a great way of reminding ourselves of any or all the foundations of mindfulness.Importantly, there needs to be an element of truth when creating and using affirmations. It needs to resonate with you and feel right. You need to be honest with yourself and know which affirmations you genuinely believe in.It is important to create affirmations that genuinely reflect who you are and what your strengths are, then you can build on those affirmations from there. Your reality will begin to reflect your affirmations. We consciously and subconsciously invite opportunity into our lives when we say affirmations.
We are so powerful when it comes to our thoughts. What we bring to a situation in terms of our backgrounds, our past experiences, and our beliefs influence the present moment. When you focus your thoughts on a particular outcome you begin to pave the way for the desired result.The way we perceive and evaluate our problems will determine how we respond to them and how much distress we will experience. While there will always be many potential stressors in our environment, by changing the way we see ourselves in relation to them, we can change our experience of the relationship with stress and therefore modify the extent to which it affects us.Keen to learn how to use mindfulness to reduce stress? Take ourMindfulness Practice Course.
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