You may have noticed: when you feel stressed out your breathing changes. If you are feeling under stress for a while, it can change your pattern of breathing. What I call “stress breathing,” a shallow breath that only goes down as far as the chest area, can become a habit. This kind of breathing has several … [Read more...]
How to Keep Your Stress High: A Recipe
1.) Don’t take any breaks during the day. There’s just too much to do. 2.) Tell yourself stories about problems or irritations, preferably all day long. Use detail to keep your emotions following the mental stories, so you end up angry if it’s an angry story, or sad if it’s a sad story. Extra points for continuing … [Read more...]
Stress and Worry: A Shortcut to Calm
Feeling stressed out and worried can be exhausting. There’s the trying to get everything done. That’s tiring enough. Then there’s the extra energy that it takes to worry, and the tension caused by stress. All that leaves us even more drained. When we’re stressed and spinning, it can help to short-circuit the … [Read more...]
Stress and the Domino Effect
Ever had one of those days? The alarm doesn’t go off and you are in a bigger hurry than usual. You stub your toe on the way to the shower. The coffee machine decides not to work, AND the dog refuses to come back in even though you’re in a rush to get out the door. There does seem to be a domino effect with stress. … [Read more...]