Latest / R.E.A.L. Talk for REAL L.Y.F.E. / Silenced Under Stress: Reclaim Your Voice

Transcript

Silenced Under Stress: Reclaim Your Voice · R.E.A.L. Talk for REAL L.Y.F.E.

• 0:00
  Welcome to Real Talk for Real Life, where we are realizing everyone is always
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  learning and living your full experience.
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  I'm your host, Coach C, and this is your Fearless Friday episode, Silenced Under Stress.
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  Listen, I'm just coming out with it. Stress kills.
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  So to be silenced while trying to survive it, that is absolutely diabolical.
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  On this week's Winning Wednesday episode, the sword of our words,
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  we declared that our words have worth.
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  Our words carry power and we must learn to use them to speak life.
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  Well, when we are stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, exhausted,
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  or barely holding it together, that is when we need to use our words the most.
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  Because stress will try to silence you. It will convince you that nobody wants
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  to hear what you are going through.
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  It will tell you that you should be strong enough to handle everything by yourself.
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  It will make you minimize your own feelings because somebody else has it worse.
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  And if that doesn't work, stress will have you so overwhelmed that you don't
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  even know how to explain what you're feeling. So you say nothing.
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  You keep showing up. You keep working. You keep taking care of everybody else. You keep smiling.
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  You keep saying, I'm fine.
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  Meanwhile, your mind is racing. Your body is exhausted. Your patience is thin.
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  And your peace is nowhere to be found.
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  Listen to me. Silence is not always strength.
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  Sometimes silence is survival, but survival was never supposed to become your permanent address.
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  There is a difference between being still and being silenced.
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  Being still is intentional. It allows you to breathe, listen,
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  pray, process, and regain your peace.
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  But being silenced means you are suppressing what needs to be acknowledged,
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  expressed, addressed, or released.
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  And you cannot heal what you refuse to reveal.
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  Now, that does not mean we should tell everything to everybody.
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  Everybody does not deserve access to your vulnerable places,
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  but you do need a safe place to put down what you have been carrying.
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  That safe place may be prayer, it may be a trusted friend, it may be your partner,
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  it may be your journal, it may be your pastor, it may be a therapist.
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  But stress needs somewhere healthy to go.
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  Because what you continue to hold inside will eventually find another way to come out.
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  It may show up as irritability, isolation, exhaustion, sleepless nights,
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  emotional eating, headaches, shutting down, or snapping at people who were never
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  the source of the problem.
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  That is why we cannot simply sit in our stress. We must learn to manage it so
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  we do not silently suffer from it.
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  Managing stress does not mean pretending it does not exist.
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  It means recognizing it, naming it, and deciding how you are going to respond to it.
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  Sometimes you need to say, I am overwhelmed. I need help. I cannot carry this by myself.
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  I need a moment to breathe. I do not have the capacity for that right now.
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  The situation is affecting me. I need to talk to someone.
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  Those are not weak words. Those are wise words.
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  And since we are learning to use our words to win, we also have to speak life
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  in the middle of stressful circumstances.
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  This moment is difficult, but it will not destroy me. I may not have every answer,
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  but I can take the next step.
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  I give myself permission to pause. I do not have to solve everything today. I am supported.
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  I am still capable. I am still covered.
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  I will not allow stress to steal my health, my hope, or my voice.
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  And most importantly, I do not have to suffer in silence.
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  Some of us have become so good at functioning under pressure that nobody knows
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  we are struggling, not even the people who love us.
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  But being able to carry it does not mean you were called to carry it alone.
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  Scripture tells us in 1 Peter 5 and 7, cast all your cares upon God because he cares for us.
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  That means we were never instructed to conceal every burden.
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  We were instructed to release it.
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  You can be faithful and still feel overwhelmed. You can be strong and still need support.
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  You can be grateful and still admit that something is heavy.
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  You can trust God and still talk to a therapist.
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  You can encourage everybody else and still need somebody to encourage you.
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  None of that makes you weak. It makes you human. So today, I need you to take
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  your voice back from your stress.
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  Do not let stress convince you to disappear inside yourself.
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  Speak, pray, write, cry, rest, reach out, set the boundary, ask for help.
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  Do something that reminds your stress that it does not run you.
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  You may be experiencing stress, but stress does not get to become your identity.
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  It does not get to control your decisions, damage your relationships,
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  dominate your thoughts, or silence your voice.
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  You are still here. You still have power. You still have choices.
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  And you still have something worth saying.
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  Here's your fearless homework. Break the silence. This weekend,
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  I want you to complete these four steps. 1.
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  Name it. Write down the one thing causing you the most stress right now.
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  Be specific. Do not write everything. Identify the heaviest thing.
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  2. Notice it. Answer this question.
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  How is this stress showing up in my mind, body, behavior, or relationships?
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  3. Release it. Choose one safe outlet and use it.
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  Pray honestly, journal without editing yourself, speak with someone you trust,
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  or schedule professional support if needed.
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  4. Respond to it. Choose one manageable action you can take within the next 48 hours.
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  You do not have to solve the entire problem. Just take the next healthy step.
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  Then stand in the mirror and declare, I will not be silenced by what is stressing me.
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  I acknowledge what I feel, I
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  ask for what I need, and I release what I was never meant to carry alone.
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  Stress may visit, but it will not live here.
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  I choose peace, support, and courageous action. I am fearless and full of faith.
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  That is your fearless homework. This weekend, do not just survive your stress and soderance.
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  Speak up, reach out, and take one intentional step toward your peace.
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  Because your voice matters, your wellness matters, your life matters.
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  This is Coach C reminding you to live fearless, speak life, and keep becoming on purpose.
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  And while you're doing that, keep learning, keep living.
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  This is Real Talk for Real Life, where we're realizing everyone is always learning
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  and you're living your full experience.
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  Make sure you're following me on Instagram and Facebook at Real Talk for Real Life.
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  That's L-Y-F-E for more inspiration, merchandise, and motivation between episodes.
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  This is Coach C. I'll see you in the next one.