Closing the stress cycle
Stress is the body's natural response to some stimuli but coping with a stressful event can be tricky.
Like all biological processes, stress has a beginning, a middle, and an end. We maintain our health if we can complete the stress response cycle.
We can’t prevent every external stressor in our lives since it’s not always under our control what happens. The key to breaking the cycle and preventing burnout though is not what causes stress, but rather how we respond to it. The goal is to live in a state of balanced peace and calm.
In a stressful situation we go through 3 stages of the stress cycle which can cause us to experience poor concentration, irritability and frustration
Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion
and if you’re not able to end the stress cycle, prolonged and chronic stress can take its toll on your body.
Below are some helpful activities how to to diminish the stress cycle:
Meditation
Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga
Breathing square breathing: 4-second inhale, 4-second hold, 4-second exhale, 4-second hold or any deep breathing at your own pace
Jogging
Walking
Dancing
lifting weights
Aerobics
Doing something creative like arts or craft
Watching something that makes you laugh
Crying (if not excessively)
Hugs (compassion exercises)
Self-massage
Finding ways to relieve the stress response cycle, like with physical activity, finding a peaceful environment, and getting adequate rest can help you cope with your stress.
Participation question
How do you take care of yourself during stressful times?
Helpful video
How stress affects your body - Sharon Horesh Bergquist
Seeking Help
Mental stress can cause us not to be able to see the good things in life and lead to excessive rumination or worries which can result in serious health problems. If stress interferes with your daily life, becomes severe, or doesn’t go away, consider talking with your doctor or a professional mental health expert who can help you identify other strategies to cope.
Are you looking for a therapist? 7 Cups has online, certified therapists with a paid option. For more information on what happens in online therapy at 7 Cups, Read Lisa’s (a therapist and director of therapy) explanation
https://www.7cups.com/forum/therapy/General_2432/WeveLaunchedTalkTherapyon7Cups_319430/
To apply for 7 Cups online therapy, click on this link (must be logged into member account) https://www.7cups.com/online-therapy/?ob=1
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I like to read or go for a drive to relieve stress
@blueAcai236
Good that you have two things to give your brain something else to focus on than focusing on stressors.
@amiablePeace77 i take care of myself during stressful time by having my own dance session with youtube. funnily, i vibe a lot with the fitness marshall youtube channel cause sometimes they have those catchy viral song. i read somewhere that shake dance is also a way to relieve stress. plus, i love dancing!!!!!
@kindEyes9789
Great that you found a fitness channel that helps you to deal with stress. I love dancing so I will check that channel later on 😊. Shake dance reminds me of what animals do after they completed a stress cycle (having been chased and finding themselves safe again) - they shake their bodies! (Shake of the stress). It's also a Qigong practise Shaking the body.
@amiablePeace77
I like to read, do grounding , breathing excersises, journaling, hiking , walking, music
Kay🐡✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️
@SummerKay2024
Great "tools" to put into a self-care toolbox 👍. You mentioned about walking, which I find is really great to find calm again. Have you ever explored about mindful walking meditations? Here is something to try if you feel curious Walking Meditation https://youtu.be/qNQgN_-kvKk?si=BnVD5yeh6Q9cKhpj
@amiablePeace77
Thank you 💛
@SummerKay2024
You are very welcome.
@amiablePeace77 I can do 4 of those things on your anti stress list😁 yaaaaay!
how to deal with stress🤔🤔 well I only recently found out that throwing stress balls at people who stress you out, is not what their intended for😕oops! 😂😂😂 to deal with stress I come on here, and distract myself for a while ❤
hugs ami ❤ this is for you...
@Tinywhisper11
@Tinywhisper11 um.. It's beginning to melt😮 it's ok I'll just eat it on your behalf😋
@Tinywhisper11
Gives a suggestion to squeeze the stress ball instead 😀. Nice that coming here helps.
@amiablePeace77
Strange to say, but listening on 7cups is one activity that takes stress away.
I often do not realize to what extent I can be stressed and often, there is little that can be done in the moment. Taking care of the stressful matters is better than avoiding them, because one's stress grows then.
@Fradiga
I agree with you about taking care of the stressful matters before the root deeply and impact the quality of your life.
@amiablePeace77 How do you take care of yourself during stressful times?
For me the first thing to do is to not make matters worse by reacting negatively and being unkind to others. This can snowball so others start treating me unkind.
If I cannot react the stress will subside or not get any worse.
@soulsings
I agree soul, being unkind because one can't deal with the stress makes things just worse.
@amiablePeace77
How do you take care of yourself during stressful times? I don't becomes too much then I explode and get in trouble for it because if I try to talk about it it also gets me in trouble but now that school's stunning up again this coming Monday I'll probably start talking to my school counselor more this year
@alysianna
Talking to your school counselor might help to find ways to deal with challenges better in future.
@amiablePeace77 Wow, I never thought of stress being cyclical before, or having an end. Many of my stresses seem to run one into another. Or they remind me of the past, and so I end up seeing it as a sort of continuation of my pain. My biggest problem I have become aware of recently is my constant desire to resist. I resist pain. I resist fear. I avoid and run as my main way to cope. I’m so used to avoidance, changing things, and being alone that I don’t really know how to connect with other adults anymore. It feels uncomfortable and unnatural. I lost the desire to even want it.
@PiecesOfWhoeverIWas
Drinking might feel like the solution, but the truth is it makes everything worse. I am so glad you could break that cycle and hope that with regular self-care and setting boundaries things will improve in your life. Remember you can always connect with a listener for a 1:1 chat and some comfort!
@amiablePeace77
How do you take care of yourself during stressful times?
Walking, running, jogging, bike riding, or any other exercise, listening to music or listening/watching something that makes me laugh, sleep, accomplishing as many important things while doing all my need to do things everyday without burning myself out of course, writing, and those are the main things right now ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@akunknown
It sounds like you're taking great care of yourself in stressful times!
@amiablePeace77
Yep bc I care for myself :)
