Stress and resistance are related to each other. The more resistance we experience, the more stress we will feel. The more stress we feel, the more precious energy we will lose.
The reverse is also true. If we step out of resistance and into action, we will feel less stress and will gain more energy. My teacher always said the best way to gain more energy is to stop losing energy. This sounds simple, and once we gain self-awareness of our stress and resistance patterns, we can make new choices to turn these destructive patterns around.
As a teacher of Shamanism, I teach how to align with the mineral, plant, animal, human, and spirit worlds of Grandmother Earth. Whether you relate to a spiritual approach to stress or not, these principles can be a guide for anyone because they come from nature. Nature knows how to balance itself. Nature may respond with dynamic tension, but nature doesn’t know stress. Stress is manmade.
As humans, we have free will and we don’t always make choices or keep priorities that keep us in balance with our physical, emotional, mental and whole selves.
Anytime we are out of alignment with nature and the natural world, we will feel stress, resistance, and even open the door to a health problem.
When life presents an opportunity as a challenge to stretch, a chance to try something new, or to make a change, we may feel triggered into our resistance pattern.
There are four primary modes that resistance patterns manifest as our individual proclivity to react when we are stressed.
Try to recognize your personal resistance response.
- Surprise: ignore the energy: after ignoring the event, you are surprised by it. You freeze and try to avoid the engagement because it looks too big for you to handle. You are afraid of the unknown and will blame the energy. Example: What, my tax preps are due next week? I don’t know where to begin; it’s too hard.
- Waiting: Give up/Give in or surrender to the energy. Wait and watch so no action will happen. This may be procrastination or hesitation. There are always plenty of excuses why the action is not happening. You may flee the opportunity or give up before you even start. Example: I lost the password to my banking app, and I don’t have time to look for it, so I can’t work on my taxes.
- Fight negatively to resist the energy: You over-prepare, overwork, and use a 100% more energy than necessary to make sure all the bases are covered. You make it harder. You worry about performance and doubt your skills and abilities. You feel anxious that you won’t do a good job, so you will work extra to cover the details and preparation. You may have issues around justice and fairness. Example: I have worked ten hours every day this week to prepare my PowerPoint for the presentation to the leadership team. I always get the hardest projects.
- Fight positively to utilize the energy: You use the energy to make it happen, but you push. This looks like a positive mode of resistance from the outside but being in it is really challenging. You will push to make it happen and you will make it harder by going against the organic flow. Your “can-do” attitude may not be based in reality. You love the chaos you create because it makes you feel alive. If there is no fight, then it’s not worth doing. What you might not recognize is the trail of carnage left behind from the cost of energy to make it happen. The people who bent over backwards or the unseen consequences of a negative impact. Example: Someone who commits to being the lead for your fundraiser and then plans a trip at the same time as the final event. Other people will need to step in and cover for the individual who said yes and didn’t keep their commitment.
In conclusion, anytime you sense you are reacting with surprise and avoidance, waiting or giving up, overworking, or pushing to make it happen, you can take a deep breath into your belly and tune in for a reality check.
Tune into your stress. Ask yourself, “What am I resisting?” and commit to one step of action. No action is too small to shift from resistance to flow. Your stress melts away as you take an action, step out of resistance, and feel your energy rebound. You might even laugh as you remind yourself that the number one way to gain more energy is to stop the patterns where you lose energy.
Contact Sara to get unstuck from your resistance patterns so you can tap into more energy and fell less stress.
Sara Regester, RN, BSN NBC-HWC is and Integrative Health and Wellness Coach and Stress Mastery Expert. Author of “Courage to Shine. How to Feel Confident Outside Your Comfort Zone.” Creator of Stress Mastery Coaching Programs. www.Directions4Wellnesss.com
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