How I deal with stress
I personally think we all see stress in different ways... a situation that is stressful for me might not be for you. We are humans, we are different!
Since I was a child I noticed I could cope with stress very good. In stressful situations I stayed calm & could help others to stay calm... what I did not notice was that my body couldn’t cope with stress that well...
When my parents split up when I was 7, I remember friends asking me why I was so calm saying that if they were in the same situation I was in they would be super sad.
I am not sure if I was sad... I know that as soon as my mother spoke to me, my brain got busy and I saw the positives... yes they were splitting but I still have both of my parents! I will have 2 houses, I will have 2 bedrooms, I will get closer to Tita (grandma & the greatest woman I ever met), etc... Whatever I saw as negative at that point, turned into a positive later on!
However, even if my mind was calm and what people were seeing was a calm girl, my stress started showing in other ways. I would get stomach aches and rashes on my skin.
It was important for me to realize how my body reacted to stress, and over the years I learned to avoid these physical reactions by foreseeing stressful situations and taking action before my body reacted.
I have learned to listen to my body and have become good at predicting when a stressful situation comes. Even if the situation is not always obvious, my body will never lie (my head starts going around in circles & my breathing becomes quicker). So now, when I see a stressful situation coming I have learned how best to deal with it.
How?
I developed my own way... I am the type of person that can’t really learn from a book, I am an autodidact and learn by doing. I will take little bits of knowledge from everywhere and build my own way!
I breathe very deeply and try to separate myself from my body.
Sounds crazy?
Maybe yes but this works for me.
What do I mean?
Let me explain to you:
Literally in my mind I picture a “Miren” on my side (like in the cartoons where there is an angel & a devil but I only have one) that starts breaking down the situation & explains to me each part, each positive, each negative so it helps me to see everything from a different perspective that is “not mine”.
What happens next?
Easy... sometimes I find solutions and get out of the cycle of my mind running in circles and fast breathing. Or… I find there is no way out and I then have to decide to either deal with it or walk away. Either way, my mind goes back to straight thinking & my breath comes back to normal.
Some people eat while they are stressed.
Some people do sports, others talk to someone else.
How do you deal with stress?
Do you need any tips? Maybe I can help? Maybe I know someone that can help you or maybe my way helps you!
Check the tip my colleague Chrissy gave us here.
Don’t over stress yourself, this will just overwhelm you and take you nowhere. Try thinking outside the box and get creative!