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Movement, Mindset and Mindfulness

Ideas and tips

I Love Stress

1/11/2016

4 Comments

 
I love stress. It’s brilliant. And not just because much of my work is based on stress. Let me explain.
 
Now first, I acknowledge that stress can be painful and toxic. And it can cause physical, mental and emotional problems. Just to clarify, I do not love that people are in pain and suffering due to stress.
 
I also recognise that life tends to chuck a load of stressful stuff at us and, sometimes, we just can’t change what’s going on. For example, bereavement, broken relationships, toxic work environments; I do not love the painful curveballs that life throws our way.
 
However, some stress can have benefits. Without any stress, life can get boring. Indeed, a lack of stress can be toxic. I’ve counselled people who are signed off work due to workplace stress only to find that being at home with nothing to do is more stressful. A certain amount of stress can keep life interesting. Useful stress, I do like.
 
However, the thing I really love about stress is it can help us to find treasure in life that we might have not found otherwise.
 
If my teenage years were less stressful, I may not have found the inner wealth of yoga.  Had I not had an extremely stressful life event in my early 20s, I would not have found a career I love in counselling. If I had not had a stressful job, I would not have discovered the wonders of office yoga. Had I not found motherhood so stressful at first, I might not have appreciated the benefits of practicing mindfulness (sometimes) in every day moments and built up skills in asking for help and self-care. Not that I would have chosen for any of these painful things to happen. However, stress can have hidden benefits.

I see so often in stressful situations people find hidden coping skills in themselves and come out stronger.  Indeed, what I often see in my clients, is that even when they can’t do anything to change stressful situations, they can change how they feel within them, and in doing so, they often find super-powers that they never knew existed. The super-powers of changing our inner state to change our outer state. Therein, lies the treasure of stress.
 
And for that reason, I have grown to love stress.
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4 Comments
Sharon Parry link
2/11/2016 12:07:39 pm

I agree that stress can make us grow. I was trying to explain the old saying 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger' to my 11 year old yesterday without much success! She was arguing that if people are damaged by a bad experience they cannot be stronger and in a way she is right. However, we can learn and make changes and that is positive.

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Cathy Bailey link
2/11/2016 05:26:59 pm

Hi Sharon, an interesting perspective! Kids can be so wise. I guess I see that people grow wisdom, self-awareness and empathy from painful experiences, and I see those things as making us stronger. Sometimes we just need to work through the pain or 'damage' of it all first.

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Fola Lewis link
2/11/2016 09:06:34 pm

Wow, this is a very different perspective to wrap my brain around. I'm currently muddling through at work and with a spate of migraines lately I know that I can't handle constant stress, 9only short bursts of it. Would love to know more about what you do and coping mechanisms for when stress isn't so positive.

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Cathy Bailey link
2/11/2016 10:42:01 pm

Hello, yes and I think it's much easier to say in hindsight rather than when in the middle of it. Migraines aren't fun and worth getting checked out medically if you've not so done already. Office Om works with stress using strategies based on Movement, Mindset and Mindfulness. I will get some more information about these on this site, but for now, you might like to check out the Mind website:- http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/stress/#.WBpquDKcb-Y

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    Cathy Bailey

    Founder of Office Om, BACP registered counsellor, Yoga Alliance 200hr trained yoga teacher, Mental Health First Aid instructor and promoter of making  daily life just that little bit better.

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