Stressful Life Steps to start feeling better

The time to start is now

by Bluestone Psychological Services

Stress is an everyday part of our lives. It is a normal physical and mental response to a situation where one feels under pressure or overwhelmed. Our current culture creates inherent stress due to too many activities, more responsibility, and less down time. Stress disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism. Basically, we are out of balance.

In older adults, stress is thought to play a bigger role in triggering depression and/or anxiety than in other age groups. Aging brings special pressures, unique life upsets and key biological changes – but they need not result in long standing psychological disorders if addressed early.

Three quick steps to connect to now and remain in the present:

1. Pause and take 3 deep breaths – the average inhale and exhale lasts 4-5 seconds. Imagine doubling that to send a message to the brain that “things are okay”. Inhale for 4-5 seconds, then exhale slowly for 5-6 seconds. Practice this for one minute and you will see your heart rate start to slow down.
2. Use your senses to ground – all of our senses can be found in and around the face. Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. Sit just where you are, use those senses to connect to the world around you.
3. Ask yourself the questions: “is this problem as big as I think?” and “can I focus on the now instead of a future negative outcome?” – these questions start to build a gray area in your thinking. Black and white, catastrophic thinking of the future creates a feeling experience that is difficult to quell.

We all know that life is stressful. The question is how do we respond to it? Stress reduction is about shifting from reacting to responding. The first step in stress management is awareness! A person needs to be able to feel and know they are experiencing stress.  Once a person is aware, mindfulness techniques and coping strategies can be done.

From here, you may have a couple of solutions to help you manage your immediate stress and move forward in a calmer way.

If you find that there is “too much” going on in your life right now, and you are feeling overwhelmed, schedule an appointment with Bluestone Psychological.  We will be happy to assist you in developing a stress reduction plan for you or someone you care about.