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Cumulative stress? Who, me?
Cumulative Stress Could be Affecting You More than You Think
- increased irritability, anger or sadness
- brain fog and inability to make decisions or focus
- fear and anxiety about the future
- inflammation - stomach issues, headaches, swollen joints, eye fatigue, unexpected aches
- mistakes, missteps, or accidents
- increased use of addictive substances, weight gain, eating disorders
From your body's perspective, imposing discomfort, pain and anxiety are the only ways your body can get your mind to pay attention. As long as you don’t listen, your body will continue to provide pain until you become so incapacitated you have to listen.
The solution to cumulative stress is two-fold
- First learn to take simple emotional regulation actions until they become a habit and are available to you under stress.
- Second find a qualified coach to work with you to do a couple of important things: use body-informed modalities to help you become more integrated internally and bring you to successful and happy outcomes in your life.
Shift Management offers career and transformational leadership coaching services to APEGA members and their spouses, for measurable and effective progress towards realizing professional and personal goals.
As you become more aware of your feelings throughout the day, it is important not to judge or criticize them, or to act on them. Just name and recognize the emotion in the moment to allow it to pass. Then take a few slow breaths in and out. Your nervous
system will calm down and your thinking skills will sharpen.
How will I know it is working?
You will know it is working when you feel happier and observe that you are more frequently calm and effective at work. In fact, the symptoms of body distress I mentioned earlier, like inflammation, fear and brain fog, will start to disappear on their own will start to disappear on their own as your nervous system experiences more safety. When you have an awareness of your emotional regulation ability and a great mentor or coach in your corner, it is possible to stop being held hostage to cumulative stress and to live your life with more joy no matter what the surrounding circumstances.