energy awareness

Why worry when tomorrow isn’t promised, is what someone may ask. Many people go through life unaware of how stress affects the body. I am one of those people, however, reading this article had a lot to offer. The Cleveland Clinic gave me a new way to view stress in moments I feel anxious. I’d love to share what I learned about the signs of stress, and how to manage it.

Stress can be defined as a human response just like anxiety can be described as feeling limited by uncertainty, or depression causing repressed energy. The Cleveland Clinic started off by explaining that stress could possibly be a good thing. I found it helpful to know that there are two parts of the brain that are highly affected by stress. The emotional brain, amygdala, communicates to the prefrontal cortex, a call center, with hopes it produces rational responses to the stimuli(trigger). The level of functionality is reflected when you see how some people react to change. Some people tend to abandon everything if they feel like they’re in danger, while others get reckless and fight. I enjoyed that the article mentioned long periods of stress is what causes harm to the body.

It is said that if a body stays in “fight-or-flight” it is chronically stressed. Chronic stress means cortisol is running wild in your body, and it can result in internal and external communication appearing unbalanced. This is very important to the brain, as your brain is a muscle and has the capacity to hold memories or energy. This is deeply connected to conditions like dementia and brain cancer, where one would be described as being out their mind. There are physical, emotional, and behavioral signals you may notice when you’re under stress; be mindful this awareness could heighten your emotional intelligence with others too. I thought it was interesting that stomach problems like bloating communicate indigestion but it’s even more intriguing how its connected to the solar plexus. If you don’t know, our third chakra is called the solar plexus, and is the center of our being that holds our masculine energy, connecting us to our willpower. Therefore, if your mind and heart are in different places; you can’t possibly act from a balanced rationale.

The Cleveland Clinic mentioned stress cannot be tested, it is subjective. I enjoyed reading, the only person who can tell you how stressed they are, is the person who feels stressed. That let me know to never invalidate someone’s expression of sadness or anxiousness. It suggested that one exercise can shake the energy of sadness, for example taking a walk. You could also take a moment to acknowledge the good compared to the things that are not that good. Ever heard of a Venn Diagram? You know, the two circles that overlap? That model could be used to weigh the pros and cons, placing the GRATIDUDE in the middle. Gratitude is a word used when expressing appreciation for something. I personally like to think of it as a level or space of acceptance. However, I know gratitude is really felt through pausing life and “smelling the roses”. My favorite suggestion is narrowing your view to the present moment, it allows you to feel more in control—it’s the only “real” moment.

Speaking of preventing stress, the article offered therapy as an option of relief too. Being that muscle tension was a symptom of stress, participating in exercises like yoga, running, or attending gym classes help create relaxation while building a community. The biggest take away from the article was reading, you can’t control everything, but you have the power to say “no” to anything outside your desires. Through this communication, you teach yourself discipline which transfers over into how you eat and manage what you allow in your life. It’s almost like as you master one principal of understanding, everything else has potential to fall into place.

It’s helpful to understand there is no time limit to when stress can or will last. They say emotions are feelings in motions, so just allow things to be what it is or what it isn’t. Honor how you find comfort for yourself, but always strive to create healthy habits. For example, if you like being isolated during your stressful time – try something new like reaching out to have someone to just be there. Or if you are normally all under others, allow yourself to sit alone with that feeling. Lastly, should you or anyone you know begin to abuse drugs to supplement for the trauma, a doctor needs to be contacted. Don’t allow your sadness to consume you; it is always best to feel through your emotions. They can’t control you after all.

Bibliography

Stress: Signs, symptoms, management & prevention. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2021, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress.