Latest / RiseUp - Live Joy Your Way / Ep. 16 – Stress

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Ep. 16 – Stress · RiseUp - Live Joy Your Way

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Today's episode is produced by my friends at Walk West.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_01: If you're looking to grow your brand and generate leads through podcast or video production, head over to walkwest.com.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's start the show.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Rise Up.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Live Joy Your Way with Comedy Wood.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's time to step into your power.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: Hi there and welcome to another episode of Rise Up, Live Joy Your Way.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: I am Comedy Wood, and beyond hosting this podcast, I do work with individuals as a certified life coach on helping them heal that relationship with themselves so that they can stop outsourcing their self-worth, they can go forward, build healthier relationships, and define success and happiness as they see it from the inside out.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: So today I wanted to tackle the topic of stress.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: As a society, I think we are facing an enormous amount of stress and anxiety, and I will say that even the clients that I work with, they routinely report that they feel a lot of stress, they feel a lot of anxiety, they feel it both emotionally and physically.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I really wanted to bring this to the forefront today.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: So let's start at the very beginning.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: What even is stress?
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: Well, stress is the body's reaction to any perceived threat, whether in our environment or to our body.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's a challenge or an adverse situation that overcomes us and overcomes our abilities to manage it, or at least it puts us in the fight flight or freeze mode.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's when we know that we're facing a stress.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: So when you perceive a threat, part of your limbic system of your brain, called the amygdala, stimulates this these endocrine responses and prepare your body for that fight, flight, or freeze response, right?
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: So it's releasing these hormones such as cortisol, cortisol is labeled the stress hormone, and adrenaline in your body.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: So if you think back over evolution, right, it it was it is preparing our body to deal with whatever threat is coming our way.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: And it urges us to do something about a situation.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: So stress is not always a bad thing because, for instance, if a tiger was about to attack us, that stress, that cortisol relief, would actually help us possibly save ourselves because it would it would uh prompt us to flee the situation and would help us hopefully survive.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: However, when there are prolonged periods of excessive stress or um where we don't allow ourselves to uh calm down and and allow our bodies to recover, that constant adrenaline and constant cortisol that remain in our body can take a toll on our health and we can actually uh endure trauma.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: There have been people who have been under so much stress where we we hear that, right?
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: That PTSD, that post-traumatic stress disorder.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that comes from being under these prolonged periods of excessive stress for a long period of time.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: So when we look at stress, we need to ask, you know, generally speaking, they stress comes from five root causes.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: Those root causes are uh they can be financial, they could be um physical, spiritual, emotional, or mental.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: Those are generally where we'll we will be facing stress in our lives.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so as we are going through and trying to figure out what stress we're facing, it's important to take a look at those five areas and to ask ourselves, what stress am I facing here?
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: Where am I feeling it physically?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: Where am I feeling it emotionally?
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: Because when we actually take the time to identify it, we're able to then raise our resiliency and be able to meet whatever adverse situation there is so that we don't end up staying in that prolonged period of fight or flight, right?
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: We don't end up staying in that prolonged period of stress.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: So it's so important to just slow it down and to ask ourselves, you know, where am I feeling the stress and anxiety in my life?
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: What are the root causes of the stress, meaning where is it coming from?
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: Where do I feel it physically, and where do I feel it emotionally?
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: And then it's a process of uh taking a pause, right?
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: So when we're feeling overly stressed, we have to figure out ways to take a pause.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: Now, I have used the stop acronym before.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: This can what I have it stand for is stop, take a breath, observe, and proceed.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: I've also heard people say it uh that it can when you stop, it can stand for stand, right?
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: Slow down what you're doing by just standing in place, uh taking those calming breaths, right?
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: So breathe in for two and breathe out for four, and just taking that stand for a conscious pause.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: Tune in, tune into the moment.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, what is your body feeling right in this moment?
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, ground yourself, connect yourself, slowly scan your body when you start from the tips of your toes and moving all the way up to your head.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: What am I feeling?
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: Where is this negative tension being held?
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: Acknowledge it, breathe through it, and let the tension go.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: Then you move to observe.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, observe what's going on in your external environment, what's going on in your internal self, focus on the surroundings outside of you.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: Is something outside of you unpleasant or is it pleasant?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: Can you find things in where you are outside of you?
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: Can you find something to anchor into that would be pleasant?
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know, take stock of what your five senses are able to feel in this present moment.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know, what currently can I hear?
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: What can I touch that's around me?
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: What do I see?
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: What's the taste in my mouth?
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know, really anchor in to your five senses so that you can get present in your moment and then proceed.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: You know, what is the possibility that I can look forward, look to right now?
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: What is my next best step forward through this stressful situation that I'm in?
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: So what happens is when we are in this state of stress, right?
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: We're in this state of fight or flight, our mind is um, the thoughts going through our mind tend to race back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's really important to be able to slow it down and to get present where we are so that our mind settles and we're able to figure out what our next best step forward is.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: And we do that from a place of calm and we're able to proceed uh from that point.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: Now, the second part of stress that I wanted to talk about today was how when we are so used to stress and we're so used to being quote unquote stressed out, we can become addicted to stress.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: So for instance, you know, you should ask yourself, like, do I constantly experience the fear of missing out?
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: Do I struggle with tight deadlines and feel as though there is never enough time to get all the things done that I want to get done?
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: Do I feel anxious when I'm a when you're away from your computer or away from your phone and not checking your email?
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: Do you have difficulty falling asleep?
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think about work even when you are at home and spending time with your family or you're supposed to be on vacation and you're still thinking about work?
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: Do you often leave things until the last minute?
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: Or do you just find it difficult to relax and find a hobby?
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: If you answered yes to some of these, you might actually be in a place where you are addicted to that cortisol hormone, right?
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: You are your body is now looking for that stress because you've become so accustomed to it, it's almost become normal.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: So when you are, I mean, actually, truth be told, uh, according to the American Institute of Stress, 77% of people in the United States experience physical symptoms of stress, while 73% struggle with the psychological difficulties caused by stress.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: Stress is the main cause of um issues for the United for the US population when it comes to you know money, to job pressures, to health, and the prolonged stress that we are facing includes things like fatigue, anxiety, irritability, um, with a weaker immune system, it it results in um health issues, and of course, other ways that you end up seeing these things show up are, you know, changes in appetite, higher blood pressure, increased heart issues.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: However, because our population is so used to stress, we've some of us have actually really honestly become addicted to it.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: So, how do you tell if you've become one of these people who actually feels like you thrive on stress or that you need stress in your life because it's become your normal?
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: Well, if you constantly feel tired, right?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: So you're always busy, you are simply moving from activity to activity, never quite feeling like you have any free time, but then when you do have free time, you're either too entire, you're too tired to enjoy it, or you find something else to do, right?
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: So even when you have downtime, you are so fidgety and you are actually worried about not doing the things that you end up feeling like you have to find something else to do.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: And you find yourself usually constantly complaining that you are so tired and so busy and so overscheduled, and yet you still continue to add more to your schedule.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: Another sign that you might be a cortisol addict, so to speak, is that you're you're unhappy.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: You struggle to recognize the things that do make you happy, and you almost don't remember the last time that you were able to do something fun or relaxing because you don't really remember what it's like to enjoy your leisure time or how to stay present in the moment because you're so used to your mind running on all the things that you have to get done or that you should be doing, that you actually are finding yourself in this unhappy place where you don't recognize or you don't remember how to enjoy the things, how to be playful, how to just spend your leisure time.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: Another indicator that you might be addicted to stress is um you're finding that your relationships are strained, right?
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: So when you are a stretch stress addict, you tend to withdraw from your relationships because you're always busy doing the things, that you find it difficult to actually engage in these healthy relationships where you're emotionally connecting with people.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's more difficult to bond with people and to appreciate them and them to appreciate you, right?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: So it goes back to this emotional connection when you are constantly stressed or constantly working or constantly doing all the things, it's very difficult to find that time to just be with somebody.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: And so you often feel disconnected, and even when you are with them, it's difficult to find the joy in those gatherings because again, you're worried about all the other things that you should be doing instead, that you're not even present in that moment to be able to enjoy the gathering that you're in.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: So when we think about it, how do we the question obviously then arises well, how do I deal with that?
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: How do I deal with the fact that I always feel stressed out or that my normal is to be stressed out?
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: Well, one of the things is to try relaxation techniques, right?
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: So really try to um add in to your daily practice some time to just be still.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: So a lot of people think of um, you know, that the only way to de-stress is to meditate.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: Well, meditation definitely has beneficial effects.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: When we're just starting out, when we're so used to being stressed out, we're so that's our normal.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: We have to start somewhere.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_01: So if we can at least just add into our day time to just be still, and and it's not that, and what I mean by that is it's not that we can't have thoughts or we can't be doing things, but it's meaning we it it's a process of allowing ourselves five to ten minutes of just sitting and just being.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: And if thoughts come into our mind, we don't judge them, we don't criticize them, but it's just learning to be present in the moment, to really practice mindfulness, which is different than meditation.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: Mindfulness really is getting present in your moment and allowing what comes in to come in without judgment, but learning to just be in that moment and not in the past and not in the future, but just being in that moment.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: Another thing that can help when we are trying to get out of this pattern and practice of always being stressed is journaling.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I know a lot of coaches talk about journaling.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: Getting having an output channel for what's going on in your mind is so important because it gives your brain the ability to let it out and put it somewhere so that it's not constantly recircling in your mind.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's, you know, whether you keep the journal or whether it's more of a brain dumping where a lot of my clients just write for the sake of writing, get it out of their brain onto paper, and some of them just rip it up and throw it away.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_01: Some people do keep their journal.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's just a matter in a process of allowing the time and space to let out what's going on, right?
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: Recognize where the stress and anxiety is, allow for a space for that to be processed.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: And if you can add in regular exercise to your daily routine, allowing your body to you know have those endorphins be stimulated, allow for that time and space for that energy to be expressed somewhere, that can contribute to reducing stress.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, uh sleeping well, you know, getting enough sleep.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_01: So when you are stressed out or you find that you are constantly trying to do all those things, it's important to put in a routine to get to bed at a certain time each night so that you have enough sleep and eating a well-balanced diet.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know, again, here's the thing with stress.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: When we're overly stressed, we don't become mindful, we become less mindful about what we're even putting in our body.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really getting mindful about what we're putting in our body and ensuring that we're not just living off of coffee, for instance, but that we're drinking enough water.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that we're not just eating snack foods, but we're actually eating foods that are high in fiber and protein, so that we are feeding our brains what what our brains actually need.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: If you would like to chat more with me, uh by all means, I'm always open to having calls with people who would like support.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: You can grab a time at chatwithcomedy.com.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: Or if you'd like to learn more about my coaching and who I help and who I serve, please visit my website at comedywood.com.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: And until next time, I'm Comedy Wood.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening to Rise Up.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: Always remember your uniqueness and the gift that you bring to this world.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: Life happens for you, not to you.