Thank you RESCUE for sponsoring this post. Help relieve stress with RESCUE products -- available in the US at CVS, Walgreens, Whole Foods, Sprouts and wherever you find natural products.
77% of people in the U.S. regularly experience physical symptoms caused by stress.*
Stress is something that affects all of
us, from job interviews to first dates, piles of laundry to sick kids.
It’s not always bad, but it can quickly get out of control and start negatively affecting your life.
I didn’t used to be very realistic about
what I could reasonably accomplish, or very good at saying no. That,
combined with the mentality that you just do what needs to be done, had me in a downward spiral of stress.
Learn to Recognize Stress Early
Because I didn’t used to understand how
to recognize when I was starting to get stressed, there have been many
times over the years that my stress levels built up to
the point that I started having physical symptoms and would end up
thinking something was seriously wrong with me, which only caused me to
get more worked up.
Just because you experience one or more
of these symptoms obviously isn’t a guarantee that it’s stress-related,
but it sure is an eye-opener to better understand how much damage stress
can do when left unchecked!
This excellent article (a highly recommended read) identifies 3 of the most common ways people respond when overwhelmed by stress:
-
Foot on the gas – An angry, agitated, or “fight” stress response. You’re heated, keyed up, overly emotional, and unable to sit still.
-
Foot on the brake – A withdrawn, depressed, or “flight” stress response. You shut down, pull away, space out, and show very little energy or emotion.
-
Foot on both – A tense or “freeze” stress response. You become frozen under pressure and can’t do anything. You look paralyzed, but under the surface you’re extremely agitated.
A helpful way to remember how to deal with potential stress is outlined as four “A’s” by the article I mentioned above (go there for more details).
My Favorite De-Stressers
How do you manage stress? Based on my
past experiences, I try hard to stay on top of how I’m feeling and not
allow stress to build up. Here are some of my favorite ways to
de-stress:
Laugh
Sometimes when my mind is going a
million miles a minute and I can’t think straight, I just need to
completely distract myself from the situation by watching a favorite
show.
Get a Massage
I often get pretty tense when I’m
stressed out, and my husband is really wonderful about giving me a back
massage or foot rub to help me relax.
Get Some Alone Time
When I get the “going slightly crazy”
feeling, sometimes the best remedy is some time alone to gather my
thoughts and gain a better perspective. That might mean taking a shower,
going on a walk, taking a nap, or even continuing to work, but in my
own space with the door closed. Usually that means that my husband holds
down the fort for a bit, but sometimes it means that the kids get a bit
more screen time than normal. And I’m totally ok with that.
Talk it Out
Once in a while – not as often,
since I’m an internal processor, but sometimes – just talking through my
thoughts and feelings with a good friend or my husband, and having them
understand what’s going on with me can be invaluable. Knowing that
someone is in your corner, and allowing them to help and support you in
whatever ways they can, essentially takes some of the weight you’ve been
carrying off of your shoulders.
Do Something Proactive
Often, negative stress can be caused by
feeling like situations are out of control – busyness, sickness,
housework, etc. Sometimes the thing that helps me most is to re-gain
control of something, whether it’s conquering a pile of dishes or
laundry, or feeling better about myself by doing my nails, hair, and
makeup.
Bonus: Natural Stress Remedy
Lately, I haven’t been doing as well as I would like. (I just wrote a post about ways I’ve been failing lately!) When I took the stress test found here,
I got a 33, indicating I’ve had high levels of stress over the past
month. While the freedom we have to travel and live in different places
is great, transition periods can sometimes be stressful, particularly if
we get behind on work.
We recently changed location from
Tijuana to El Paso and work stuff piled up more than I had anticipated.
Yesterday we recorded a podcast with Smart and Simple Matters, and I was
still feeling a bit stressed and nervous beforehand, so I took one of
these RESCUE Pastilles, each of which contain one dose of RESCUE Remedy.
While I can’t say that the pastille helped me sound more intelligent (it’s not magical *smirk*),
I do think it helped me relax a bit. The consistency is like a cross
between a hard candy and a gummy candy, so just the action of sucking or
chewing on the pastille is relaxing.
I love that the ingredients are totally natural, not even any dyes, and I’ll definitely be putting these in our glove box for easy access on busy days.
There are a bunch of other natural, non-habit-forming RESCUE options,
including Sleep Liquid Melts to help you sleep and Pearls (dissolvable
capsules also for stress relief). I also spied some stress relief gum
when I picked up my pastilles, which I would love to try next!
RESCUE stress relief products are
available now in the US at CVS, Walgreens, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and
wherever you find natural products. There are even some great coupons – check them out!
*Source: American Psychological Association, American Institute of Stress, NY
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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