STRESS = pressure ÷ resilience
Read it again. Does this make sense?
The more resilient you are to pressures determines how stressed your daily life/mind/body is.
So many of us have been living in a pained state that we aren’t even trying to heal, we’re just getting used to it.
I read articles lately on how that pain and build-up has caused dangerous riffs in homes. Sheltering in place has caused issues to surface or deteriorate.
Uncertainties, fear, and a feeling of loss of control have exacerbated these household matters to community matters.
The more we grasp the more we spin out of control…
Have you considered Newton's Laws?
The third law states that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, if object A exerts a force on object B, then object B also exerts an equal force on object A.
Awareness means to know. Inundation doesn’t make you more aware of the world’s issues. It just creates more stress.
The TV doesn't have to be on a news broadcast all day, or even the first thing in the morning! Even a slight shift in how we think or act can make the difference.
These last few months and weeks have been a constant barrage, daggers of atrocities poking in all directions—like a spoke. There you are in the center translating, absorbing, and forwarding information so that everyone around you can process with you, or be in the same mental fog and outrage.
These last months, I have completely disconnected. I have the same access to the news; I just chose not to follow it. I have immediately deleted all forwarded "latest news" articles and messages. Why, because on too many occasions I looked up the rest of the article. People would share shocking snippets or video clips, under the guise of advising, but actually, it just spread fear and anxiety. I’m the person who checks the source. I’m the one who scrolls beyond the second “o” on Google pages to read on. Unfortunately, the half the sources were quacks, discredited, or well-made videos from agent provocateur groups.
This is quite frustrating. I'm sure the truth is somewhere in between.
It’s as frustrating as knowing that a lot of the unrest across the country is created by groups with other interests and has used these times to carry out their ignorant agendas. The extreme groups or the “patriots” who are the first to throw rocks at storefront windows have filtered in with the peaceful protestors and made the Black/Brown community look completely unruly.
I only take glances at the news every few days. I choose other ways to fill my day because I don’t care to absorb subconscious stress.
I’m not trying to distract, forget, or ignore. Escape mechanisms don’t heal anyway.
I choose to change the narrative of what I pass on. I don’t wish fear, illness, stress, or unrest with myself, why would I share/forward panic messages to anyone else?
I choose hope.
I choose empowerment.
I choose peace.
I choose to react and send out what I wish to get back.
I hope these protests push forward more than just awareness.
Change starts with the leaders and the tone they set which trickles down to the departments and communities. I believe that. You all have had the experience on a smaller scale at work, I’m sure. If your manager or boss sets the tone of fear and anxiety—the entire office works under duress.
You can show up differently and change your narrative. Do some research and become informed that way your thoughts, words, and actions can empower the next person.
You have the power to control what stressors you allow in your daily life.
Choose wisely. You’d be surprised how stress manifests in your body…
Live well.
Thanks for being here.