Tips To Bounce Back From Stress
Happy Friday. We made it another week J As a recap, in the last email I shared 5 tips to prepare for stress: anticipate, plan, resource up, enroll, and visualize.
Today, let’s talk about a different aspect of resilience: how to BOUNCE BACK AFTER a stressful event. Below are 3 strategies to help you recover from a stressful event. And to really internalize the benefits, I invite you to scale yourself from 1-10 on how you feel beforeyou try a technique and again afterwards (Scale I use: 1 = I feel extremely crappy to 10 = I feel amazing). If you see an increase in your subjective emotional state of 2 points or more I’d suggest adding it to your resilience toolkit.
3 STRATEGIES TO BOUNCE BACK FROM STRESS:
RECHARGE YOUR BODY AND NERVOUS SYSTEM: I would start with this step to calm your nervous system and recharge your batteries. Tips: Intentionally make your exhale longer than your inhale for 5 breaths to kick start the relaxation response. Get out in nature with no audio book or podcast, just let your mind be open and spacious. Do a guided stress reduction meditation. Try gentle exercise like a walk or yoga. I could go on and on, but experiment to discover what works for you. I’d love to hear what does work for you.
GAIN PERSPECTIVE: When we focus on what we can’t control and what’s wrong, it can be like a pinhole in a camera – we don’t see the full picture. Try asking yourself “What could have gone worse?” “What can I be happy about, grateful for?” “How can I turn this obstacle upside down? Is there an opportunity here?” “Is there is a way to explain or interpret the situation that is more resilient?”
PRACTICE SELF-COMPASSION: This is mental health month, and we often are kinder to others than we are to ourselves. Ask yourself “What advice would I give my friend if she was in this situation?” You may be surprised by what this question reveals.
Know that I am your cheerleader here, encouraging you to start practicing these techniques RIGHT NOW with small stressors in your life. Let me be your virtual accountability partner in this area. Email me today what 1 technique you commit to try this weekend, and then let me know how it went for you.
If someone in your world could benefit from 1:1 sessions with me, I would be honored with an introduction.