Beautiful Practice

Stress solutions

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Stress solutions

When life closes in and the pressure becomes overwhelming, try the following steps…

Pause, breathe and feel your body

Take the time to feel what you’re feeling. Breathe into your belly and relax.

Get some exercise, movement, dance, sport or play

Move often.Move vigorously. Mostly outdoors. Look for one authentic physical effort every day. The details don’t matter. Walk, run, squat, lift; whatever your favorite form, build some intensity and feel your body in action.

Resynchronize with the sun

Get back in the circadian swing. Light is the master regulator of human physiology. Do a “cognitive taper” in the evening. Turn off the blue light (electronics) in the evening and go to bed.

Step back for a fresh beginning

Relinquish your efforts, then re-engage. Use sleep, meditation and breaks to refresh your beginner’s mind. As the poet Rumi put it, “see with fresh eyes.”

Practice a high contrast lifestyle

Oscillate deeply. Alternate between periods of full engagement and authentic rest. Avoid chronic, flat-line work and “always on” living.

Beware false tigers

Ask yourself: Is this an genuine threat to my survival? Or is it a mere abstraction?

Exercise control, relinquish control

Both arts are vital. Perform the necessary steps to gain control of your predicament. Master your work and your craft. At the same time, relinquish your expectations for a perfect, utopian outcome. Practice acceptance.

Find your sweet spot

Moderate amounts of stress are good for your brain, your body and your performance. Keep adjusting and be aware of the tipping point.

Segment your tasks

Break intimidating projects into doable chunks, then link them together. Focus on what you can reasonably do now.

Widen your middle ground

Beware of either-or, black-and-white thinking. If your only options are “success or failure,” you’ll be stressed. If you’re only “a winner or a loser,” you’ll be overcome by pressure. Better to seek nuance, subtlety and shades of gray.

“People of great ability keep extremes far apart, so that there is a long distance between them. They always keep in the middle of their caution, so they take time to act.” Baltasar Gracián, The Art of Worldly Wisdom

Trust your body

Below the surface, your body is always striving towards adaptation and integration. You are fundamentally resilient. Your body will find a way.

Ask yourself: “Is this a challenge or a threat?”

When your mind-body senses a challenge, it generates a host of beneficial adaptations. When it senses a threat, the stress becomes toxic. Know the difference.

See presentation by Professor June Gruber, Yale University here.

Seek support

Tend and befriend. Call on your friends and loved ones. Tell your stress story. Pump the hormone oxytocin with touch and fellowship.

See The Moral Molecule by Paul Zak here.

See a bigger picture

Don’t get bogged down in the minor frustrations of work and life. Go higher.

Tell a new story

Try a new narrative, from a fresh perspective. Describe your stress from another point of view.

Embrace uncertainty

Life is a mixed bag; change is inevitable. No amount of work or calculation can ever eliminate insecurity, risk, doubt or danger. Train for it, then dance with it.

When all else fails, take a nap on the beach.

Additional resources

Robert Sapolsky: Stress and Your Body

Gabor Mate: When the Body Says No

Laurence Gonzales: Surviving Survival

Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend

Kelly Lambert: The Lab Rat Chronicles

Exuberant Animal: Integrated stress assessment

Beautiful Practice is the creation of Frank Forencich. Frank is the author of Exuberant Animal, Change Your Body, Change the World, Beautiful Practice and The Exuberant Animal Play Book. Frank is available for seminars, workshops and keynotes.

Training and seminars

Beautiful Practice seminars are highly integrated learning experiences dedicated to performance, health education, team cohesion and creativity. Ideal for managers, decision-makers, human resource directors, knowledge workers, health care and fitness professionals, Contact Beautiful Practice for more information.