Completing The Stress Cycle

We are all stressed right now, that's no secret. We are dealing with financial stress, job stress, relationship stress, then we add COVID stress. It sucks.

It was recently recommended to me that I investigate more about the stress cycle and how to successfully complete it before adding additional stress. (cough work cough)

What is the stress cycle and how to complete it?

Our body has created the stress response for fight or flight. Think lion attack, yep, that's why we are supposed to be stressed. I love Brene Brown's podcast Unlocking Us and she recently interviewed these two badass ladies about their book Burnout- The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. (Believe me, it's already on my Christmas list too).

Obviously check out the entire podcast here, but here are the nuts and bolts.

3 components of Burnout-

1) emotional exhaustion

2) decreased sense of accomplishment

3) depersonalization (depletion of empathy, caring, and compassion)

Compassion fatigue

Emotions are a tunnel. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

You have to move all the way through the tunnel in order to not overwhelm yourself.

If you don't complete the stress cycle overtime you can cause permanent damage to your body (ie digestion issues, heart disease caused by stress)

Human giver syndrome

Stressors- the outside things that activate the stress response

Stress- the physical response to stressors

Removing the stressors does not mean the stress cycle is complete.

Ie even if the stressor is gone (work project) doesn't mean that you aren't stressed anymore.

Reasons we get stuck-

-Chronic Stressor/Chronic Stress

-Social Appropriateness and expectations (pushing down big emotions to meet the expectations of others)

-Safety

Fight/Flight/Freeze response- avoid responses activated by your brains initial observation of the event.

How to complete the stress cycle-

I just gave you the highlights, but I find this research so fascinating. I really think that we all need to do a better job of completing each stress cycle instead of letting it take a toll on our bodies.

I have been a firm believer lately in crying to finish a stress cycle. It's not my most beautiful of reactions, but let me tell you getting a good solid cry out after a long day or a tough fight and you feel instantly better. I am also a huge advocate for affection. I truly think a weighted blanket can help anyone with anxiety, but a good long hug or snuggle session always helps too. Chad may not always be on board, but I do my best to convince him lol!

Right now life is hard on everyone and we often forget that.

Give yourself some grace and try your best to embrace the suck and move on. We've only got a few more weeks of 2020, so 2021 can only get better!

XO,