Do you have a tendency to grind your teeth throughout the night or tense your stomach continually? How would you feel if your body could tell you when is it time to drink more water or when have you eaten enough? It is true that your sleep could be like honey and your mind stays clear every day.
The best feeling is when the new knowledge sinks into the mind, like the best cream would absorb into the skin. This is what the skill of recuperation will offer you.
This is not to be confused or compared to relaxation, which is only a small part of the process of recuperation. Recuperation is a skill and foundation for all well-being. It is a skill which can be learned, developed and strengthened. To learn the skill is a worthwhile investment, as it adds zest and joy to life.
So many of us are not even aware of the symptoms of stress. They are normally treated as physical symptoms as it’s difficult to address the reasons below deep in your mind. When do you know that you are stressed and when is the level getting too high? Let’s take a moment to explore this.
We can simply lose our ability to recognise the signs of stress. It can manifest itself as neck or shoulder tension, headaches, rising blood pressure, stomach aches, back pain or even repeated flu cycles.
When you feel “you must do and the normal tasks feel demanding”, this means that you have exceeded your resources: “Oh I can’t get this done, oh this is just too much”, then you know you are stressed. In this stress situation the ability to isolate your differences diminishes. This means everything becomes like one big block and anything and everything that we have not dealt with on an emotional level will rise to the surface.
The mind cannot differentiate between positive and negative stress as it deals with all similar emotions in the same area in the brain.
This is why emotions can leak and, sadly, they become like a free-flowing anxiety and wave. Everything expands way beyond reality and feels unbearable, even if the reality is that the task is in fact not so big.
There is always a danger that stress can develop a sub chronicle stage. This happens particularly with those who are trying to be perfect. These people are giving themselves unrealistic expectations. They are then no longer able to relax in front of the new tasks. This is when they feel overwhelmed and it is difficult to get in touch on a practical level with a simple question of “what's next?”. What to do then? You have two options: 1 - Runaway and point the finger at the others “ it is you who caused this.” Or 2 - Stop and face what is ahead of you and say “Hey let’s go through this”.
The second option is absolutely worthwhile because if you don’t face these feelings or deal with being uncomfortable with them, you cannot get rid of them. Hiding will lead to a vicious cycle that stress builds on.
Let’s do the things which will really free you from the stress and make you feel better.
The great first step is to start from your breathing, just breathe out a little bit longer and pause at the end of the exhalation. Immediately you can see your mind beginning to calm down. Well performed stretching helps almost everything. At least it’s a nicer feeling to be flexible than stiff. Armed with this knowledge you will find by breathing out a little bit longer your pulse will go down.
With this gentle approach to yourself you will find everything can be faced. I seem to be talking about skills that we really need to practice throughout our life. Perhaps this blog after all wasn’t just tips, but a life lesson?
FACTS about stress
● Stress can be recognised from irritation, difficulty of remembering, restlessness, being worried, being tired, fatigue, anxiety, sleep deprivation, appetite changes and lack of sexual desire. (More info on the effects of stress here)
● Stress is always a psychological experience, which affects the physical. It activates the sympathetic nervous system preparing the body to fight. This means the body is in a continuous alert stage leading to chronic stress.
● Stress can be managed with well planned exercises.
Also read our 'Why stress can be the primary reason for weight gain and loss' blog HERE
Recuperate: Marja’s online stretching and core strength sessions offer a great way to diminish the stress and feel energised
– Join Marja’s new online A Strong and Mobile Back 6 week course - starts Monday 28th February 2022. Discover more HERE
© Method Putkisto
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