Stress is an indicator to warn you that your thoughts have gone off track. Instead of trying to “fix” how you feel, look towards the deeper intelligence at play.
One of the biggest reasons why we get sick is due to stress. According to the Health and Safety Executive, stress causes up to 40% of all work-related illness.
When you think about it, that means we can actually make ourselves sick through unhealthy thoughts.
In fact, when I was a child, I had such bad separation anxiety that some mornings on the way to school I literally got so worked up to the point that I was physically ill.
Isn’t it amazing that what you think has a direct physiological effect on how you feel?
Pause for a moment and think about a time that you were nervous…
…How did you even know you were nervous?
It’s likely you were so wrapped up in your head about the person, place or thing that you were nervous about.
Maybe it was a first date or a job interview or a presentation you had to do.
And because of being caught up in your thinking, you start to get physiological symptoms. Whether that be an upset stomach, elevated heart rate, brain fog, fatigue, irritability, shallow breathing, dry mouth or clammy hands.
We all experience our reality through our thoughts, and our feelings are always connected to our thoughts in the moment.
Our physiology is like an alarm system that indicates the quality of our thoughts.
If I am stressed or worried, I tend to get tired and become unwell. That is usually my wake-up call that I’ve let my thoughts run wild. Admittedly, sometimes I go down the rabbit hole but when I wake up to why I’m in a low state of mind, I see it for what it is, and come back to the present moment.
Keep in mind, it’s not about the content of our thoughts – that merely keeps us trapped in the thought storm – but rather the understanding that it is our thoughts. Thoughts are transient and neutral, until you attach meaning to them and play out the story in your mind.
When I start to get tired, I know that’s the warning signal to tell me I’m overthinking and need to prioritise self-care. It’s such a brilliant design and intricate system because, if I don’t listen to my body, then my body literally puts me out of action for a few days with “a cold” or “ear infection”.
These days I make a conscious effort to check in with my inner wisdom. As soon as I feel my state of mind drop, my internal navigating system tells me what I need to do in that moment; that might be the realisation that I’m watching too much news, need to go for a run or should have a long hot bath. Sometimes it’s just taking a break, after all, life is all about balance.
There is no prescription for what to do when you are stressed but the best way to find a solution is to declutter your mind and allow an insight to unfold.
The only advice I have is to not get stressed about feeling stressed. Simply acknowledge that you’re feeling a certain way and trust that it will pass. We all have innate resilience and now, more than ever, we need to be kind to ourselves.
Remember, stress is caused due to being caught up in your thoughts. There are loads of ways to “reduce or manage stress” but often people spend so much time trying to CONTROL their stress, which creates more stress.
On a deep soul-level, we have our own navigating system and are being guided. Maybe that guided you to this blog, maybe you had the urge to phone a friend that you haven’t spoken to in a while, maybe you decided to try cook something different for dinner today or start a new book.
YOU, and only you, will know what you need to do to come back to the present moment. Everything else is merely pointing you in that direction.
What is one thing you can do today to improve your state of mind and maintain balance?
Feel free to contact me if you need some help to manage stress in your life.
I’m Cath, a Registered Dietitian with numerous years’ experience, both in South Africa and in the UK. Let me point you in the right direction towards spiritual wellbeing so that you tap into the true essence of who you are.