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Breaking the stress cycle

With each second the clock ticks louder, the email inbox pings like countdowns, my eyes flick across multiple documents but cannot focus. My chest begins to tighten, thoughts race through my mind 'I wont finish this on time' 'I cant do it'. Sound familiar? 

Why do I feel stressed and worry so much? 

Its important to remember that the mind and body are one. Its easy to think that stress is all your mind and in a way it is. What you think becomes how you feel and how you feel becomes how you react. Its important to remember that stress occurs when we feel like what is required of us is too much to handle. Therefore, we cannot compare our stress to others. It is personal.

When you feel stressed your brain doesn't register whether it is external stress (for example about to be eaten by a tiger) or internal stress (I cant keep up with these emails). Your mind simply labels this 'STRESS ALERT'. This signals the body to react QUICKLY. 


The body produces the stress hormone cortisol. This causes a very physical reaction. You may feel hot, have an increased heart rate, feel restless, have headaches, loss of sleep and catch colds too easily. So as you can see, a few negative thoughts can cause you to feel stressed and then start the process of a physical effect. Now some stress is helpful. It gives you the energy boost required to power through and get that deadline sorted. It helps you to run from a Tiger if needs be but it can get out of hand. 

Our nervous system can get exhausted and we have less energy and therefore a lower mood. This causes changes in behaviour such as we may eat more or less, reduce our exercise, become irritable, avoid the problem and struggle with our concentration. These all become a vicious cycle. 

What can I do to fight of stress 

Okay so you have identified that you feel stressed too often, now what? 

  1. Connect and share. We are all human, we all get stressed. Its important to let others know how you are feeling. They can help guide your thoughts to positives and generally just give you support. A problem shared is a problem halfed and all that! 
  2. Thoughts are NOT facts. Your brain is very good at convincing you that your thoughts are facts. That that speech you prepared you will stumble over and therefore you need to practise another 10 times. Sometimes helpful, often not. Try to sit and identify your thoughts as just that, thoughts. You would be surprised at some of the strange things your brain thinks up when left to wander.... 
  3. Acknowledge it. You are allowed to feel stressed. Stress is completely normal but it is how you let it control you that matters. 
  4. Challenge your thoughts. Say no to the negative and hello to the positive! Sounds cheesy, and yes its difficult but combat the 'I cant' with the 'This is how I can'. This can help stop the spiral of thought into stress and stress into physical responce.
  5. You can do it. Trust that whatever you face you can get through it. Stress can make you feel as if time will stop. That these is no time after that interview. It is all just the interview when it is not. Try to look past it. Could you book in something nice afterwards, grab a coffee with a friend? 
  6. Breathe. Take a minute when it feels too much and step away. Break that spiral of thoughts as it begins. Take a break, grab a tea and sit in the sunshine. Do the classic count down from 10, meditate, draw. Whatever you need to do to feel in the present moment. 

  7. Exercise, stretch, move. Movement helps to increase your energy believe it or not. This can help increase your mood, motivation and concentration. 
  8. Break it down. Break down a big project into lots of miniature ones. I love a to do list. I find when I can mind dump all that I need to get done onto a list I feel it is more manageable. Allocate times to complete these too if that helps you. 
  9. Creativity. Creative tasks can help reduce your tension. Get the pens out, clay, colours, paints whatever you fancy. 
  10. Ask for help. If you feel your stress is becoming too much to handle contact your doctor or a mental health charity. 


Take care, 

Lozzy 


Helpful websites: 

NHS

Mental Health Foundation

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Location: London, UK

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