While there are strategies that can help us cope with and handle stress, there are times when the effects of stress, such as exhaustion, are impossible to avoid.
Photo: Pexels.com
By Carol Rickard
As I’d mentioned in my last post, the storms had left us with no power—the total time it was out: 8 days.
Our record is 2 weeks, back with Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, so I am grateful we didn’t get closer to that!
However, I learned something new this week about the POWER of stress and I want to share it with you.
I can honestly say that on an emotional level--I was able to manage the stress and keep it at a pretty low level.
In other words, I did not feel stressed out by the situation. My LifeTOOLS worked very well in keeping my mind in a calm & peaceful state.
But…
On a physical level I was exhausted…
After the first couple of days, I would wake up feeling as though I had not gotten ANY sleep…when in fact I had gotten 8-9 good hours!
It was simply amazing to me.
On one level, emotionally, I felt calm and peaceful!
Yet on another level, physically, I felt completely run over!
It was then that I realized the true POWER of stress:
We can use LifeTOOLS to help us manage it to some degree, however we cannot totally eliminate it.
Our bodies are hard-wired with a stress response programmed for survival!
So even when I knew in my head I was safe and that the situation of lost power was not a life-threatening event…
My body perceived it to be a life-threatening event!
An important lesson I learned is how in certain situations we can’t SHUT OFF our stress response by using our mind and our tools…
We can only become aware of what is going on, honor this amazing survival wiring, and adjust our expectations of ourselves!
The true POWER of STRESS is amazing!
~ To Living Well TODAY! ~
via Esperanza – Hope To Cope
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