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Feeling overwhelmed? Are you taking on more responsibility than what may be needed? Maybe you’re piling your plate up with more than what you can handle?

If this sounds anything like you I want you to know two things. One, you are not alone. I find myself doing everything I just stated above way more than I would like to admit, and way more than I should be doing. The second thing I want you to know is that if you can identify with anything I stated above, chances are you understand what it’s like to experience a great amount of stress, in such a short amount of time, as a result of overextending yourself.

This my friend has many names. Some that you may be familiar with are overwhelm, anxiety, and exhaustion. However, this feeling is most notably known as stress.

Stress is our body’s way of responding to overstimulation. When we experience a great deal of stress our body goes into defense mode. As a result of that we enter a “fight-or-flight” state of mind, better known as a stress response, which is our body’s way of protecting us.

Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Well it’s not, but if you’re a chronic stressor like me then you know that it can be very exhausting, and at times painful to constantly be under stress. There are many things you can do to help minimize your stress levels, such as squeezing a stress ball or even talking to someone about what’s going on.

However, while minimizing your stress levels is always a great start to experiencing less stress, it’s only temporary. To experience lower levels of stress more often your goal should be to relieve your mind and body of stress. To do this requires a little bit more effort, technique, and skill than just squeezing a stress ball or talking to someone. [Read more…]