Talking to people about the stress in their life I have heard many of them remark on how if they could just improve their stress management, their life/health would be better…so a few days ago I posted a True or False question on my social media that I wanted to discuss, because like many things in life this topic of Stress Management has no black and white answer.
The statement was “If I learn to manage my stress better, I will be able to handle ANYTHING.”
What do you think? Is this true?…
It’s so interesting to me that when you look up tactics to help you manage your stress you will find a proverbial how-to of actions you can take to eliminate the factors that cause you stress. There are some great suggestions and occasionally you are mentally in the right place to hear this information and might actually incorporate a thing or two. But how often do you sift through information like this and actually follow through on it? Consistently enough to make a difference?
Stress can sometimes be a very motivating factor, it is not always negative, but when it affects our health and/or our quality of life it becomes problematic. What we are getting when it is problematic is an opportunity for awareness and growth.
When I was younger and having constant panic attacks I committed to daily relaxation/meditation techniques that I stuck to for probably about 4 or 5 years (some of them I still use now). And guess what…it worked! I stopped having that kind of terrifying out of the blue panic attack. I didn’t have a smartphone at the time distracting me and goading me to constantly look for other answers, so instead I had to put my faith in the tools I had been given and I chose to stick to them.
Over the years though, as my practice and my endless search for improved health and quality of life continued I learned new things and realized that not only are we distracted by such easy access to so many different schools of thought paralyzing us in our direction but most of these tactics are not actually helping to TRANSFORM the unconscious perceptions or beliefs you hold about your self and your life.
My ongoing relaxation/meditation practice slowed me down and helped start the process of having body/mind awareness but it didn’t get me in touch with the deep down core patterns or beliefs that fueled my decision making.
Now I’m not saying don’t use these tactics because there is still tremendous benefit to quieting the mind, relaxing the body, and practicing stillness which will in the moment definitely help to relieve stress and over time can help you gain insight for sure, it’s just not a fast approach to unraveling the unconscious.
Our unconscious patterning is what guides our decision making.
When we unravel this unconscious patterning we are free to make conscious choices that support our health. Choosing to stay in an unhealthy relationship, causing mental physical health concerns is a choice made from this unconscious place. You don’t stay because you are fully loving and supporting yourself?! Choosing to remain in a job you hate, making you an irritable, tense, impatient person is a choice fueled by the unconscious beliefs you hold about work, your self-worth, or your purpose in life.
We make these kinds of choices all the time and it is either an opportunity for embracing peace, harmony, and love in your life OR an opportunity for increasing tension, self-sabotage, and fear.
So the answer to whether or not we can handle ANYTHING if we learn to manage our stress better is True AND False.
True because the more we can dig into our unconscious creating awareness where there was none before the more we can become a conscious decision maker in our lives alleviating many experiences that would be stress inducing. But False because it is not always about “handling” everything.
Giving up on a situation often takes more courage than staying in it; and simply using the stress management tactics like breathing, eating right, sleeping well, and exercising, etc. are not going to be enough to help you “handle” ANY unhealthy situation. Sooner or later you need to change and move on to things that will support you.
Change your patterns, change your life!
If you are interested in learning more about HOW to dig into your unconscious patterning that is a lot faster and more transformational than more traditional approaches, give me a call 780-328-9088 or send me a message. I’m always happy to chat with you.
Dr. Kim Gowetor
Naturopath Sherwood Park
Naturopath Calgary
780-328-9088
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