Are You Drowning in Stress?
“HELP! I’m drowning in stress.”
Those are the words that are becoming a universal theme these days.
“I hear you. I want to support you.” Is my response.
I have some good ideas on how to navigate these days of confusion and
complexity.
I wish I had a magic wand and could do a few quick wand waves and make
everything better.
Since I’m not a fairy godmother, here’s what I can do.
I can give you some tools to help you understand why you keep getting
overwhelmed, why you feel anxious when change is in the air, and why you
feel disheartened even on the most beautiful, sunny days.
Want to blame all of your tense behavior on today’s stressful situations?
Maybe you can blame some of your crappy mood on what is happening
today. But, not all of it.
Please listen to the words you use to express your upset.
Here’s what happened recently to Marcy, a senior executive known for her
amazing insights and quick wit.
Last week she was left out of the loop on a project. Was it intentional or
was it just an oversight?
Her trusted colleague, her boss, someone she loved to work with had put
the finishing touches on the proposal without asking Marcy’s permission or
her approval.
Here is what Marcy said to me several days ago:
“It was an old, familiar feeling, being discounted. By the time I called to talk
with my boss I was almost out of control. As I spewed forth my rage I really
listened to my words. As you say, Sylvia, I got at the observation of myself.
I told her over and over that she had crossed boundaries that were
inappropriate and simply not okay with me.
How dare she not consider me and my feelings?
And then I went limp.
I heard what I was saying. I felt the way I used to feel after my parents,
both of them would discipline me by beating the crap out of me if I ever
spoke up for me.
I finally calmed down and to my embarrassment found out that she has
sent the proposal back to me to complete. I had not received it yet.
At least I became aware of why I was so damned upset pretty quickly so I
could do damage control.”
Marcy’s memories had taken over and with her emotions leading the way,
she could not sit quietly. The past had invaded the present.
They showed up when an old wound from years ago got touched. This is
happening more and more these days as we all reach the limits of handling
stress both from work, at home and in the world at large.
I have put together a program so you can find more effective ways to
handle stress and not let the triggers from the past take over your behavior
today.
It’s about finding the zone between shouting out upset and stuffing it down.
I call it the safe stress zone.
Join me in a master class to find out about what causes you to fly off the
handle like Marcy did or run and hide like so many others do.
Stress won’t go away and neither will the old memories that cause the
stings of hurt and anxiety.
However, you can learn better ways to navigate the rocky road of these
difficult days.
Watch the master class here and learn how you can stay in the safe stress zone.
