" I really know how it feels to be stressed out, stressed out. When you're face to face with your adversity..."
These are the lyrics to one of my favorite Tribe Called Quest songs and I used to blast this from my battery powered boombox to the disapproval of my Jamaican parents, who would often yell " turn that booguyaga music off!"
My 13 year old self loved this song but I barely had an idea what stress was. My problems at that age were talking on the phone without my dad picking up and listening, having to watch episodes of Columbo and James Bond because Dad monopolized the tv and refused to put one in my room, and not getting my gelled down baby hair to stay put.
One thing is for certain, those stressors and many others that would arise throughout my life motivated me to action to change the circumstance of my problem, and brainstorm until I obtained a favorable outcome. It took me some time to realize brown gel did the job better than JAM.
Many of us feel entitled to live stress free when in reality, stressors are uncontrollable, however how we approach them is essential to our mental health.
How do you manage stress? Do you have an adult temper tantrum and totally melt down when things don't go your way? Do you become abusive towards your loved ones? Do you overeat? Do you shop compulsively? Do you completely isolate and take a passive approach to problems?
Don't despair, many of us have made bad choices when stressors arise, as it is a natural reaction for our defense mechanisms to kick into high gear to avoid discomfort and anxiety from said stressor.
Obtaining healthy means to manage stress requires being intentional to re-wire maladaptive ways to cope. Your mental and physical health depend greatly on these skills to reduce your stress response system and avoid illness and disease. Imagine your cortisol levels ( hormones responsible for responding to stress) are constantly high, it places you in constant fight mode, causes inflammation, releasing free radical and placing you at risk for anxiety and overall imbalance. In other words, it is crucial for your holistic health to find cognitive skills and/or physical ways to calm your body and your mind.
As a Breath-Body-Mind teacher, I provide stress reducing breathing techniques which aid to reduce stress almost immediately in a cost effective manner, and without the use of medication. I am available for workshops, individual, or group settings to provide you with useful tools. So in honor of stress management month, gift yourself with the healing power of breath. #stress #stressmanagement #relaxation #breathing #healing #calm #mindfulness #wellness #anxiety #relief #response #triggers #skills #insight #support #counseling #mentalhealth #holistichealth #Grace #JEWright
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