The secret to stress is in our perception and how we choose to handle it. I believe that 2020 is going to be magical and one way to align with that magical energy is to actively manage our stress. I’m going to share three different level to handle stress. All three are ideal ways but unfortunately, many of us don’t make it to level two, and most of us don’t make it to level three. The good news, however, is that you CAN! It’s really just about knowing what to do and consciously choosing to do it.
Level 1
A level 1 way to handle or manage stress is by making healthy lifestyle choices or choosing things as part of your lifestyle to help keep your reserves high in managing stress. These fall under self-care. Here are some level one options for managing stress;
- Quality sleep
- Quality nutrition
- Drink lots of water
- Exercise/movement
- Meditation
- Establishing AM & PM routines
- Spa services
- Weekend get-a-aways
Think of these options as recharging your battery. We all need to do this proactively not reactively when it comes to stress management. How can you make any of the options above part of your lifestyle or can you come up with your own ways to proactively recharge?
Level 2
Level 2 of managing stress takes things a bit deeper. Getting real with yourself in terms of what you give energy to. What does stress drain?
Our energy.
So why we would spend so much time festering or dwelling on something that drains out energy?
Sure, we need to take care of the stress. Definitely. But having a strong emotional reaction to stress, putting too much emotional energy on it or just focusing solely on what we are consistently stressed about is not the answer.
Are you willing to change the amount you focus on it?
Acknowledge what triggered stress in you. Be proactive about figuring out how you want to handle it then choose to focus on joy. Move into the vibration of things that bring you joy knowing that you are going to handle the stress because you are capable and you’ve got your aligned action plan ready to go. Stepping into the vibration of joy by focusing your thoughts on what brings you joy will only support you in conserving your energy, so that when it’s time to handle the stress, you don’t show up drained.
Level 3
At level 3 way when managing stress, we actually elevate our conscious mind to look at things on a deeper level in order to get to the root. What’s really happening here?
Taking an honest look at how we are seeing a situation. Are we willing to see it differently? If the same emotional response of being triggered, perhaps there is a lesson we are supposed to get out of this emotional trigger in order to change our reality and decrease the stress in our life. Maybe there is some inner work that needs to be done in order to heal what causes the stress.
Some examples:
- Establishing boundaries vs. living in chaos
- Letting go vs. needing to control or be codependent
- Acceptance vs. resistance to what is
- Not taking things personally vs. something being a direct reflection of you
Of course, there are other emotional triggers that can create stress in our life, but these are just a few examples as to how, if we chose to explore what’s happening on a deeper level and change our behavior, we can create a reality with less stress and more joy. And while mani/pedis are great fun and relaxing they don’t heal our emotional wounds that contribute to us living with unhealthy behaviors.
As I stated above, level 3 stress management is a level most will choose to avoid as it is a lot of work and requires us to get real with ourselves and take responsibility for our behavior. However, the pay off of joy and inner peace will also meet at the same level of hard work and it will be worth it.
Are you willing to explore what some of your emotional stress triggers are rooted in in order to decrease your stress and create more joy and peace in your life?
Aligning with Alexis offers weekly wellness workshops that focus on our emotional wellbeing and provide tools to help us navigate through emotionally challenging things. These tools help us align with our higher self and create a life we love.
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EM: alexis@synergywellnesslv.com