Scale Your Stress and Breathe

Long Term Stress

I have a few clients with long term stress.

It happens to all of us, and for some it is a “given”.  

Sometimes it’s the job, or the season, or it’s COVID, or…

My clients run companies.  That is, by definition, stressful, and long-term stress must be dealt with.  Seasons at work or in life can also be stressful. A client works full-time and has young children at home and the spouse is working, too.  Working with small children at home is a season of long-term stress. Raising young children can be stressful all by itself.

Also, bankers and insurance companies and other professions have special seasons where there is a lot of stress.

Then there is COVID and the long-term stress associated with it, with lockdowns and working at home (maybe with small or school age children at home), etc. 

BUT NOW everything is opening up and there is a REAL stress for us to have to deal with how many in-person activities that are happening all around all the time. 

A lot of work meetings that have been postponed for two years are finally happening, not to mention the conferences, social events and presentations that are now in-person once again. 

I have a friend who is giving presentations (note the plural) this week.  This, of course includes the Q&A afterwards and the required networking aperos following the events. After two years of relative quiet everything is “noisy” again. It is a big transition and the calendar is overly full.

There are other stressors that also are long-term.

I have not yet mentioned the other life stressors that many people have: chronic health problems that a person has or loved ones have, unsatisfactory relationships, financial stress that is chronic, difficult job situations or team situations, life transitions, cultural issues (my clients often have these),  abuse/violence, …

There are two kinds of stress: cognitive and body stress (remember your body keeps score). You may not be able to totally reduce cognitive stress, but you CAN take care of your body.

So, what can you do to help the stressors that are always there and you can’t get rid of them.

First and foremost, breathe well and take care of your body as best as you can - and get outside (and remember your PPFs).

Focus on what you can control.

Breathe- if you don’t have a FITBIT with a breathing mechanism, find an app, or just lie on the floor or bed and breathe in and out, counting to 4 – In for 4 rest and hold, out for 4 and repeat.

Be aware of your body- and scale the stress levels in your body (from 1-10) at different times.  When it is high, take a quick breathing break.  Know your triggers and prepare for them by breathing before, and maybe after.

Then make sure you are getting enough sleep, exercise and eating well.  It’s amazing how much just that week bit of “self-care” is totally good for our stress levels.

Get outside as much as you can to do your exercise, and even meet up with people for walks. I have a dog and that is really helpful for me.

Finally, don’t forget your PPFs:

PAST: Remember the past and be grateful, PRESENT: savor what we have in the present and FUTURE:  anticipate the good things the future holds with hope.

Here’s my example:

MY PAST:  This past weekend I had a wonderful time with friends and family. It was really a special weekend for me.

My PRESENT right now is thinking positively about what I have just accomplished for work and that I am feeling much better than last week when I had the final end symptoms of COVID, mayelf.

My FUTURE (HOPE) for today and tomorrow is a near future hope:  I am looking forward to finishing the semester’s teaching tomorrow at noon.  MY fare away hope is the vacation times I will have this summer.  What your your PPFs?

How stressed are you right now? Scale it.

How are you dealing with your stress at the moment?

Patricia Jehle                patricia@jehle-coaching.com