3: Managing Stress in the Moment Versus Managing the Cause of Stress

Women's Success Coach Podcast

Episode Overview:
In today’s podcast I am talking about stress which is a human experience we have all had. When I work with clients around their stress, I take a two pronged approach. The first approach is what can offer some relief in the moment when stress levels start to build and I like to call it the “quick fix”. The second approach is a more permanent fix, but it requires a little more time and focus because it involves changing thought patterns that create or “dial up” stress.

• 3 breathing strategies for stress + 3 additional strategies for calming the nervous system when stress increases.

• 4 tension releasing strategies for managing stress.

• 3 distraction strategies for managing stress.

• Step-by-step process for changing thinking patterns that are at the root of stress.

Let’s take some action:

• Every day (or most days), use a 1 to 10 scale and ask yourself where your stress level is. You can’t manage what you don’t measure so checking in with yourself is the best way to know where your stress level is.

• If you are above a 5, consider taking some action to get it under a 5.

• Practice the 3 breathing techniques I shared and have 1 or 2 that you engage with anytime you notice you are above a 5. My recommendation is, regardless of whether you think you are experiencing stress, to engage in 5 to 10 rounds of breathing at the beginning of your day, in the middle of your day, and at the end of the day. This will help make sure that you keep bringing your stress level back down if it starts to creep up on you.

• Identify 1 or more tension releasing activities you can use when experiencing stress.

• Next, create a plan for what you can do when you want to distract yourself from your thought that is creating stress for you.

• Finally, commit to doing the real work of identifying, challenging, and changing your thoughts that are creating the stress. If you are intentional about this, you will start to see a change, sooner than you may think.

Useful Resources:
Do you worry too much, overthink, assume the worst-case scenarios, spend a lot of time focusing on negative things that have happened, or discredit positive things happening? If so, you are dealing with the human brain we have all been given and you are not alone.
The good news is, you can change this and it may not take as long as you may think! If you want a free resource that will help you examine your thinking patterns, and change those that are not serving you, grab my 5 Common Thought Distortions Guide HERE.

Let’s stay in touch:

Website: www.KarenVincentSolutions.com

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