Our reactions to stress almost always follow certain patterns we have learned and can use instantly when we experience a stressful situation.
Some of these patterns are helpful, while others let the stress level rise unnecessarily high or last too long.
We all carry a mix of ideal and less ideal, even harmful patterns within us. Anyone who struggles with stress can benefit from recognizing and changing their patterns.
And this is where AWARENESS comes in:
Awareness, related to stress, is the ability to recognize and observe what's happening in your mind and body when you experience stress.
This includes:
👉 Identifying the stress trigger
👉 Recognizing the reaction starting within you
👉 Creating a pause, taking a moment to stop before reacting further
This pause is the automatic result of awareness - and it's very important because it gives us the chance to break the pattern and consciously react differently.
Thanks to awareness, our nervous system learns that there are other ways to respond. It takes a mental snapshot of each mindful experience and stores it. New neural connections form, while old ones weaken. Our nervous system also learns to regulate itself again.
♨️ Here are some suggestions for how you could start practicing awareness. We observe and describe in our thoughts what we are currently noticing:
🕶️ How does it feel for me to get up today?
🕶️ What exactly do I feel when I enter my office? Am I motivated? Have I already had enough?
🕶️ Did I actually just think I'm not good enough?
🕶️ Interesting how everything tenses up when XY enters the room.
🕶️ That loud voice from XY that annoys me - something in me wants to explode.
🕶️ And if I finish work on time today, do I feel… bad?
Awareness is not a sport. There is no peak to climb. Often, we succeed only after we've already overreacted - and even that's a big win. We just observe, without judging ourselves or wanting it to be different.
So be kind to yourself when you are mindful - and if it's difficult, that's okay. Observe it 😉
Do you often feel stressed?
In my 8-week program, you can learn to reduce stress and build a solid foundation for your stress resilience. Find out more here:
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