Noticing Stress In Your Life

A couple of years ago, I really got it about how not living my truth was causing me stress and negatively impacting my life. I began a very busy job that was both exciting and fulfilling. I was excited about all the opportunities that presented themselves for me in this position. As I became more immersed in the work, I had several ideas about how this position could grow and evolve. I used my creativity and determination to try and bring about all that I believed was possible. It was a challenging time.

When I began in the role, I was naïve about the inner workings of the organization and the power imbalances that existed. It quickly became clear to me that trying to create any kind of meaningful change in this organization was like “herding cats”. As I embraced the challenge, I worked hard, did my best and felt like I was living true to my values of honesty, hard work, connection and responsibility. However, slowly over time my performance, judgement and sense of control over my life started to slip.

More from YourTango: Is Stress Impacting Your Health?

I noticed that I was not as efficient as I used to be. There would be some mornings, I would walk into my office totally scattered and overwhelmed by the tasks at hand. I did not know where to begin. I started to lose my sense of humor, and found myself being negative about people and circumstances around me. These situations were all out of my control. I became more emotional and focused my energy on everything that was not working. I started to catch every cold and flu that was going around, I had lots of aches and pains and I had no energy. I had arrived at my breaking point.

What happened to me? I was stressed!! The accumulation of stress hormones and adrenaline in my system were impacting my health, my performance and my judgement. Until I found ways to deal with what was going on with me, things were not going to change. I needed to take responsibility for my health and wellbeing.

Why I am telling you this story? I know I am not alone. Many of my clients recount stories of negative work environments, poor management and heavy workload as the cause of their frustration, burnout and lack of commitment to their job. On the surface, everyone would agree that these circumstances negatively impact job satisfaction. The truth of the matter is, how we react to these stressors determines how we feel in our life.

What I want YOU to know is:
You CAN learn to recognize when stress is starting to accumulate in your system.
You CAN change the negative impact of stress hormones in your body.
You CAN change how you react to the stress that impacts your health, your performance and your judgement.

This takes time and it takes commitment, but it can be done. By learning to recognize YOUR body’s responses to stress, YOUR thoughts and YOUR reactions, you can take charge of that which is defeating you and learn another way.

The first step: Notice your reactions to this blog.
Do you feel excited and energized that there may be a better way? or
Do you feel exhausted and defeated with the idea that “yeah it worked for you, but there is no way I can make it work for me”?

Next: Ask yourself – How am I reacting to all that is going on in my life right now? Do I feel like I am living true to who I am and what I want?

By taking the time to ask yourself what is true for you, you are beginning to develop a deeper more honest relationship with yourself!

More from YourTango: Is Stress Impacting Your Health?

Gerrianne Clare,

Family Guidance System