Life Happens! Use Adversity & Stress To Take Action
It’s December 2016. I’m at a rehabilitation facility for my total hip arthroscopy. It’s Christmas Eve Day & I was scheduled to leave but was told I would have to wait till after the holiday. I took a breath & accepted this. Then, another patient arrived from another facility who was extremely disruptive to the entire floor. My anxiety was rising & I grew more upset, as many others did.
Here’s a side bar of irony: While I was bonding with my new hip, I also had to allocate time to prepare for a previously scheduled presentation that was just 5 weeks after my hip replacement! I was co presenting on the topic: How To Mitigate Stress.
Meanwhile, I put on my headphones & happened to discover the following TED Talk:
Kelly McGonigal:
TED Talk: How to Make Stress Your Friend
“Your body is giving you energy to rise to the challenge.”
Yes, I used that information STAT! Kelly McGonigal’s TED Talk helped me breakout of rehab! I l immediately processed my new found knowledge, asked for whomever was in charge & I left shortly after that.
Or Sometimes Take No Action!
Alternatively, doing the opposite of action can be valuable. For example, in handling anger, sometimes this is applicable instead of action:
For every minute you remain angry, you give up 60 seconds of peace of mind.
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
My notes: Take a deep breathe to process if action or letting go & moving on is a better strategy. Anger can waste time & drag on you emotionally. That energy could best be spent elsewhere.
When was the last time you spent a quiet moment just doing nothing – just sitting and looking at the sea, or watching the wind blowing the tree limbs, or waves rippling on a pond, a flickering candle…
–Ralph Marston
I literally did this yesterday. I could feel my anxiety & stress level rising about something. However, the day was just so gorgeous I literally had to stop & take several small “time outs” to be grateful, breathe & meditate. I still did not sleep well but the next day I somehow felt energized & more positive! And remember, when you feel better, others around you feel better as well!
Laura’s 8 Stressful Exuberance Tips:
Here is a summary from my 2017 presentation. Since my topic was using exercise (Pilates) to mitigate stress, my idea is movement based:
- Change your attitude toward stress.
- Use the signs of stress as motivation for action: Move! Exercise!
- Exercise releases endorphins. Endorphins fight stress.
- Results: feel stronger, refreshed, motivated, focused, calm, and more self-aware,
- Focus, calm, and self-awareness gives you power to take action.
- Taking action reduces stress.
- Stress is diffused!
- More time to enjoy life.
Posted in: Mindfulness, Pilates, Stress
