Stress Arises When

Stress Arises When Something You Care about is at Stake

After years of trying to reduce my stress because I felt like my actions were always ruled by it. As a Registered Nurse I would push myself and work like a maniac taking on way more work than I could possibly fit into my day. I excelled at perfection, pushing myself that little bit more to get the recognition and acknowledgment for a job well done and to be known as the go-to person for the most challenging projects knowing that I would meet the deadline, and prove that I could do the job better than anyone else. Everything was my priority so I really didn’t know how to prioritize what really mattered because I was going to do it all.

I never asked for help or set realistic goals. Eventually I wiped myself out with the stress of performance. In the process I also wiped out my health. Once I got my health back on track, I stepped into the same stress driven pattern to over achieve and I wiped myself out again, and then again. Work was the focus of my life above all else.

Finally I learned how to change my relationship to stress so I could to be successful without wiping myself out. I have a more fulfilling lifestyle with health, supportive relationships and passion for what I do. Now I know how to prioritize what really matters and success is showing up in all areas of my life.

Now I finally understand why stress always shows up when I’m gearing up for something important and I have learned how to use that energy to my advantage.

I have also learned that there are benefits to the stress response when you know how to align with stress resilience to meet a challenge.

Now rather then flailing around and trying to resist the physical response that stress triggers can create, I can now manage the stress and use the stress response to focus my energy and know that my body is responding to support me to be successful. It’s really about your attitude towards stress that makes the difference. Am I excited to meet the challenge to perform well or am I anxious and going into the survival mode of fight or flight?

Stress will always show up when you are engaging something that is important to you. If it weren’t important then you would not feel stressed. The key is to manage the stress to ramp up your energy, focus and use it to your advantage.

Visit my Technique pages to learn how to make an alliance with stress.

Sara is a Stress Management Specialist and creator of the Turn Your Stress into Success Programs. With more than 30 years in Healthcare and Certified as an Integrative Health Coach, she helps busy success driven individuals to transform stressful lifestyle patterns into more fulfilling balanced living that supports successful relationships, career, health and prosperity. For more information and techniques contact Sara Regester at Sara@directions4wellness.com or her website at Direction4Wellness.com