Beat the Stress of Life
I was walking around New York on Saturday and as I struggled to get past the swarms of people on the sidewalk, with the sounds of car horns blaring and the din of construction noise in the background, for the first time I realized what people mean when they say that they find the city to be overwhelming.
It was quite the contrast from the quiet, relaxing summer where the loudest noise was the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks. Based on my conversations with some of you, there are a lot of people who are also struggling to transition back to their usual routines and can’t figure out why.
We so often think of stress as a conscious feeling in response to something external to us, such as a big presentation or work deadline. Something that you notice and are aware of. This temporary acute stress is one form and the tools I provide below will also help you deal with it, but there is another kind of stress that is more subtle.
The kind that I was probably experiencing as I walked around the city, and what you may be feeling as you get back to your usual routines.
Subconscious chronic stress.
It is happening in the background, often beyond our awareness. It is caused by something in our environment, or our environment itself, and usually it takes leaving our typical day to day to notice the difference. Even if we do know that we are experiencing it, we become used to it and are unaware of the outsized effect it is having on all aspects of our life.
You know when someone has a job that they hate? They complain about it all the time, are often irritable, and just not very pleasant to be around. Then they get a new job and suddenly are a different person.
They were probably experiencing a great deal of this type of stress.
Obviously you are not going to move, change jobs, or end relationships every time they cause you stress (although if it is making you constantly miserable then maybe you should consider it, but that is a conversation for a different day), so the key becomes finding ways to manage it.
Below are some tips for helping you combat the stress of everyday life.
Meditation. Shocker I know. But we could all use a reminder. I don’t consider myself a very stressed person in my everyday life, but this last week has reminded me why I meditate - to combat this sort of subtle long term stress.
Don’t make things worse. One way or another things have a way of catching up with you. I have learned this the hard way. I know that my body is typically stressed after travel, yet I have pushed myself in workouts and ended up unnecessarily injuring myself. Cultivate some balance and don’t constantly put your body under additional stress.
Find a calming routine. Whether it is going for a walk in nature or just shaking out your body, find something you can turn to when you need it. Hint - gentle movement usually helps.
Breathwork. I especially love to use breathwork for these times of transition when we need to quickly go deep and release tension in the body. If you haven’t tried a longer breathwork sequence (30-50 minutes), I highly recommend you give it a shot. Reach out if you need assistance getting started!
Listen to your body. Feeling more irritable than usual? Not recovering as well from workouts? Noticing a change in your energy levels? These are all subtle signs that your body may be stressed. Learn how to tune into your body and what it is feeling and needs at the current moment.
Become consistent. Even if you are not going through what seems like an overly stressful time, you may still be experiencing some other types of stress, and this is where staying consistent with your practices will have the most benefit.
