Stress, for real

The last few days have been rough. An accumulation of to many things, crazy busyness, disconnect, forgetting what's important. It created a ton of stress. Honestly, looking back on them I'm grateful. Those days solidified some things for me. Things the Lord is teaching me and things I'm excited to share with you about stress. All of my research was put into good practice!

1st: Recognize Stress

You may think that stress would be obvious, but it isn't always. I would have told you that I am a super low stress person, but I'm not! what I discovered is that stress looks like anger, or frustration, or even depression. What does it look like / feel like for you? Anger? Withdrawn? Anxiety? Shutting down? Amping up? What about the physical side? Increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, shallow breathing, racing thoughts. 

So the challenge is to become mindful of what stress feels like in your body so your can begin to catch it earlier and earlier.

2nd: Name it

Seriously. Out loud. Call it what it is. Don't let it hide in the shadows wrecking havoc on your mind and body. It's crazy the perspective you get when you name it. 

3rd: Pause

Recognizing it and naming it leads to the ability to take action. I thought I didn't have time to stop and deal with stress. But, we do have time, we have to have time. Stress is killing you. For reals. Once you develop the habit it will take less than a minute to go through the steps. So, hide in the closet, take a minute in the pantry, go "get something", whatever you need to do. 

4th: Grab an oil

Can you do this without an oil? Yep! But, you won't get the same results. Let me tell you why. Our sense of smell is tied directly to the limbic system, the emotional switchboard of the brain. It controls anger, fear, our stress response. Heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, hormones, moods...When our stress hormone cortisol is high it puts us in that fight or flight mode and that decreases our immunity, affects digestion, throughs our thyroid and hormones out of balance, it increases our blood sugar causing insulin resistance and weight gain. there is so much more too! Believe me when I say stress is bad. 

So the sense of smell bypasses the logical side of the brain and directly affects the limbic system. That means that smelling an oil immediately impacts our emotions and memory.

So if you want to interrupt a stress pattern as quick as possible, grab an oil. Put a couple drops in the palm of your hand, rub into palm and over wrists and then cup your hand over your nose and do 5 deep slow breaths in and out your nose. 

5th: Speak Truth

Truth. So powerful. This is something I've already chosen during a calm moment, something I write down or make the background of my phone, I memorize it. 

Psalm 19:14 has been my go to. 

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight , O Lord my rock and my redeemer"

When I am stressed I struggle with the words and tone and this verse helps me break that pattern. 

So, recognize it, name it, pause, grab an oil, speak truth. Over and over, every time you're stressed. Your body will start to respond quicker and quicker.