| stop and look inside yourself |
In Part I, we explored how viewing stress as a positive modulates your body’s response for the better. After spending the week tracking your key stressors, how did your body react, and what was going through your mind as you experienced pressure? How did you respond to these signals?
Continue to track your stress responses each week. Different triggering events are bound to pop up, giving you more information on your coping skills. By developing this self-awareness and building healthy coping mechanisms, you will learn to stop stress from spiraling out of control.
All too often, many folks think the solution to workplace stress or a long list of errands is to power through. However, this grin-and-bear-it mindset -- what some experts call “toxic positivity” -- creates a cycle that can lead to burnout.
And “if you’re pretending to be positive but inside you’re fearful, that can create even more turbulence,” explained Dr. Deepak Chopra, a clinical professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, to CNN’s Julia Chatterley. “You have to get in touch with your emotions.”
Suppressing emotional responses, whether positive or negative, triggers the fight-or-flight response in the sympathetic nervous system, increasing your heart rate, found one study. In another study, participants who accepted their own emotional responses to stimuli had lower heart rates; they also recovered from the experience more quickly.
If you’re whirling about, stop and take a moment. This will clear your mind and sharpen it, improving your ability to think strategically.
Slowing down your movements also interrupts the stress circuits in the brain, said Michelle Anne, a certified professional coach with training in neuroscience and leadership. A slowdown “is the most profound thing that can heighten your awareness,” Anne said.
Pausing to figure out how to navigate workplace tensions or get your family to help with household chores is well worth it.
What strategies do you use to manage situations that may cause stress? Share with us at stressless@newsletters.cnn.com
| what the experts do |
In Part I, we learned how quieting the mind with deep breathing relieves stress. Mindfulness is a secular activity in the West, but it has roots in Eastern spiritual traditions. The Dalai Lama concentrates on a thought instead of emptying his mind. This technique is called analytical meditation.
As he breathes, he focuses on the idea of “my body, speech, mind dedicated (to the) well-being of others,” he told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. “Optimism -- that also is a help for the body.” (And it's been confirmed by research.)
If you find developing mindfulness difficult, you’re in great company. “Me, too! Not that easy,” the Dalai Lama said. Having practiced daily for the past “50, 60 years,” he noted that “development of the inner experience, it take(s) time.”
Get inspired by Dr. Gupta’s visit with His Holiness and then identify an encouraging thought to focus on in your breathing practice.
| try this, not that |
When it comes to household chores, it can be frustrating to need more help from your partner and/or kids but not receive it. Don’t try to go it alone -- that can lead to a vicious cycle of resentment and exhaustion.
Instead: Take a moment and cool down. This will separate the problem from the person. One of the most important steps to determining who does what and why is communication between partners during regular meetings, said Jill Yavorsky, assistant professor in the sociology department and organizational science program at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Map out a plan together, and consider deploying a time management strategy that breaks up chore time in intervals.
| self-care pick of the week |
Refocus your thoughts by building a good old-fashioned puzzle -- with a twist. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, tipped us off to this circular wooden puzzle of the night sky. Fitting the unusually shaped jigsaws together is that much more satisfying.
| your weekly goal |
Let’s check in on the worry list you created in Part I. How many of them actually happened? And of those, how many would have happened no matter what you did?
If you worried about things that didn’t materialize or you couldn’t change, that’s wasted worry. This week, make a habit of analyzing the worries that cause you stress and clear your mind of the needless ones. For five more ways to stop overthinking, learn here.
Quick recap:
- Be aware when the stress response activates and use deep breathing or slowing down to stop it in its tracks.
- Add a variation to your mindfulness practice by focusing on a positive thought.
- Break a cycle of stress by enlisting help with chores from family members.
- Start a regular habit of analyzing your worries to help focus and clear your mind.