Too much stress? Time to take stock

I know from personal experience that when the heat goes up in my life, I simply dig in and take on more, not realising what I am doing until something gives.  Being able to deal with copious amounts of stress is not always a good thing; not a badge of merit.  You can unknowingly override your body’s early warning system and put an intolerable amount of stress on both body and mind.

Many of us strive for Peak Performance by continually stretching to achieve more and pushing ourselves with new challenges.  However, it is important to realise that ‘overachieving’ has nothing to do with Peak Performance.  Peak performers do not allow themselves to hit that wall of stress as they know that their performance would only decline.  Instead, Peak performers rely on self-reflection to know when they need to push and when they need to replenish.  They prioritise self-care above all else.  Now that is a lesson from which we could all benefit.  

To be fair, stress is not inherently bad, technically there exists both good stress and bad stress.  Stress actually helps our performance by keeping us on our toes.  However, we all have a personal ‘maximum point’ at which stress begins to interfere with performance.  If we want to aim for Peak Performance we must be able to recognise when our stress system is becoming overloaded.

Some individuals will experience stress overload physically, for example sleep disruption, eating changes like loss of appetite or over-eating, headaches, muscle tension, or heart palpitations.  These can all be signs that stress is building to a disruptive level.  Others feel the first signs mentally and emotionally, losing their ability to concentrate or remember simple things, becoming irritable and fed-up with people, or just feeling kind of down on life in general.  

If you do not want this to be you then it is time to get out of denial about the amount of stress you are under.  Have a look below at Building Solutions for ideas on how you can monitor where your stress level is at.  Take it from me, staying on top of stress works way better than hitting the wall, having the wall fall on you, and then trying to dig your way out.  Stop the ‘I’m fine’ syndrome and realise and admit when you are not.  Being a strong ‘coper’ is an admirable quality, however, not when it interferes with your quality of life.  

BUILDING SOLUTIONS

1.    First of all you need to know when you are under stress.  Consider the past six months to a year and make a list of life events or changes, both good and bad that have occurred.  Rate each one (high, medium, low) as to how much personal adjustment it required. If you can identify several life changes that you rate as medium or high over the past year, you are at greater risk of stress-related difficulties.

2.    Everyday hassles and tension can also build into stress if not taken care of.  These are the things that frustrate, pressure and irritate us both at work and at home.  Make a list of your Everyday Hassles and seriously consider what you can do to change any of them.  Small changes can make a tremendous difference in your overall stress.

3.    Once again, think back over the past six months to a year and list any physical, mental, emotional, or behavioural changes you notice in yourself that may indicate an increase in your overall stress level.     

4.    It is time to make yourself more sensitive to your needs.  Choose just one way that you can enhance your self-care today.

Content provided by Dr Toby Silverton and Dr Bev McLagan of Silverton McLagan Coaching.

ABOUT DR TOBY SILVERTON AND DR BEV MCLAGAN
“I change myself, I change the world.” Gloria Anzaldua
Dr Toby Silverton and Dr Bev McLagan run Silverton McLagan Coaching.  They hold PhDs in Counselling Psychology.  They have more than 25 years clinical experience as counselling psychologists, psychotherapists, personal coaches and educators. They moved to the UK from Vancouver in 2009 and coach clients worldwide in person, by phone and online.  

Dr Toby and Dr Bev offer their own unique blend of psychotherapy and coaching, which they call ‘Psychodynamic Coaching’ and which results in ‘change that lasts a lifetime’.  They specialise in working with Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) - a group that includes creative artists and other professionals, both women and men, who are usually successful and over-stretched perfectionists - helping them to achieve a ‘Living Balance’.

For more information visit www.livethesolution.com