Turn STRESSED into DESSERTS
Every stressful situation has opportunity reward, and if you look at these situations positively you may be surprised at how sweet these stressful situations can turn out.
If you have ever had a massage therapy session, you are probably aware that stress effects our bodies. The places your body carries stress overtime becomes achy with tension and physical pain.
WebMD states that the following symptoms are most likely stress related:
Low energy
Headaches
Stomach/ Digestion problems (such as upset stomach/ nausea, diarrhea, and constipation)
Chest pain and rapid heartbeat
Insomnia
Frequent colds and infections
Loss of sexual desire and/or ability
Beyond these physical symptoms, stress can also have a big impact on your emotions and general mood. Stress.org describes a few of the mental or emotional symptoms of mounting stress:
Difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts
Trouble learning new information
Forgetfulness, disorganization, confusion
Difficulty in making decisions
Feeling overloaded or overwhelmed
Frequent crying spells or dangerous/ suicidal thoughts
Feelings of loneliness or worthlessness
Little interest in appearance, punctuality
Nervous habits, fidgeting, feet tapping
Increased frustration, irritability, edginess
Overreaction to petty annoyances
When we look at these symptoms, it’s clear that stress can reach into every nook and cranny of your daily life. And this all seems rather negative, but don’t get too down yet.
After all, “Stressed spelled backwards is desserts.”
The quote above, while humorous and simplistic, is actually onto something.
Stress is inevitable in life (this we know). But we should remind ourselves that succumbing to the negative symptoms of stress is not inevitable. When we treat stress as an opportunity instead of a threat we can change our mindset and meet the challenge head-on, contributing to our own growth and development instead of throwing up our hands and waiting to be swallowed whole.
So how do you change your mindset?
Follow this simple rule:
Think of stress as an opportunity for growth
The next time you find yourself feeling stressed, just remember that by simply changing your mindset of how you view stress it can greatly impact the outcome of your situation.
To help you remember this tip, keep in mind that we are the cause of our own effect. Write it down if you need to and keep it where you can read it often. Once you start thinking in these terms, shifting your mindset into a more positive thinking becomes easier because you are changing your thinking to create the outcome or effect that you want.
Remember that if we think negatively about challenges/ situations that we face, it can automatically set us up for a negative effect.
However, if we view stressful situations as a challenge in which we have an opportunity for growth, we can view the situation with positive, healthy views that create a more positive effect.
I don't know about you, but I was not thinking positively after about 4 weeks of shut down. I was having anxiety and feelings of depression and it took some time for me to begin looking at the lock down as an opportunity for growth.
However, when I changed my mindset and began looking at the situations I was in as opportunities and challenges that I could overcome; a natural calmer, happier and healthier way of thinking emerged.