Everyone experiences stress at some point in their lives.
It’s a common and normal physical response to challenging or new situations.
The body goes into ‘fight or flight’ mode.
It releases stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, causing your heart to beat faster and your breathing to quicken.
It’s a natural reaction, but the key to stress management is finding the right balance between productive stress which helps you overcome challenges, and stress that makes you feel overwhelmed and unproductive.
I read an interesting article this week about former AFL player Brendan Fevola.
He described two instances that set off alarm bells.
The first was on walk where he found himself struggling to breathe.
The second when his heart rate was racing to 120 when he hadn’t actually been doing anything.
Sensibly he went to see his doctor, thinking there was something wrong with his heart.
Fortunately that wasn’t the case, but he was diagnosed with stress and told to relax more.
Relaxation techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, slow breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and exercise, can help you manage stress.
It’s a matter of finding which is best for you.
I recently had a similar experience to Fevola.
For no real reason that I could work out, my heart rate was racing above 100.
I tried to ignore it at first, but it just became too intrusive.
So (typical English woman) I made myself a cup of tea and headed outside.
I sat in my favourite spot in the garden and just watched what was going on around me.
When you’re feeling stressed you don’t always ‘see’ things immediately.
But after a few moments I started to notice the movement in the trees and grevilleas.
I became more aware of the birds and other noises.
Clouds dancing across the sky.
Leaves bouncing across the floor.
A skink running across the wall.
Once I felt a bit calmer, I took a deep breath and then just followed my breath in and out.
As I did this I noticed my heart rate dropping – I actually watched the numbers drop via my fitness app.
If you find yourself feeling stressed, overwhelmed or having an anxiety attack, if you can, take yourself somewhere quiet and try to focus on something else.
What I can see and hear are my go to senses.
Of course, if the feelings persist, please do like the Fev, and see your doctor.
Ann 🙏