Stress Reduction: Finding Inner Peace Through Mindfulness

Stress visits us all in our lives.  In modern society, unfortunately it can become our permanent or predominant state.  Managing stress and promoting inner peace in our lives allows us to focus on our own contentment.

Features of stress

Stress visits us in our lives at various times and for various reasons.  Sometimes it is a short visit, and sometimes it is chronic and stays with us for many years or feels like our regular state.  Whatever the reason, the evidence is undeniable, stress is not good for us when it persists for a long time.  Short-term, it can be a helpful driver that keeps us moving through a challenge.  Long-term stress however, can lead to illness, physically and psychologically.  Regardless of the timeframe, stress is uncomfortable.  So how we deal with it matters.

Managing short and long-term stress:

Get support: 

The help of friends, family, pets and a counsellor or psychologist can help us reduce our mental and emotional load during periods of stress.

Routine:

Routine creates predictability in our lives.  Predictability reduces anticipation which allows us to relax because we can count on the time we have put aside to do the things we need to do as well as the things that replenish us.  In this way, routine is an extremely supportive tool.

Time out for enjoyment: 

Allowing time for our brain to switch out of problem-solving mode and into play, relaxation and comfort are important.  Life shouldn’t be all toil and our brain and body benefits from the biochemical reactions that occur during states of play and relaxation which can also benefit our relationships.

Time for stillness:

Stress often implies busyness.  Stillness allows us to change the pace of our lives so that we can digest and integrate our life experiences.  This can often help us to solve problems that cause stress.

Boundaries:

Particularly during times of stress, it’s important that we utilise healthy boundaries to protect our peace of mind, energy and relationships.

Reducing ‘load’:

During periods of stress, it may be unrealistic to set the same set of expectations on ourselves as it would during a more calm period in our lives.  Therefore, looking at ways to reduce our physical and mental load is important.

Making lists and prioritising:

Sometimes, writing everything down can help us look at smarter ways of doing things and can help us prioritise what needs to be done first and what can wait.  This provides us with a sense of control and a way of tackling just one thing at a time as we move through our challenge.

Treating ourselves with self-compassion and grace:

Reminding ourselves frequently that we are prone to mistakes and can be more sensitive or reactive when we are stressed can help us be kinder to ourselves and prevent unnecessary self-shame when we do not meet our ‘regular’ standards in our lives.  Our humanness and finite capacity reminds us to be gentle with ourselves.

Checking in with your values:

The event of stress, especially long-term stress can be a good catalyst for checking in with our own values, where we are in our lives and what we are spending our time and energy on.  It’s important that our toil is meaningful and that it leads to something that really matters to us.  Sometimes, it can be important and healthy to check-in with what is causing us stress and to ensure that whatever it is, really matters to us and if not, to work out how we reorient ourselves back to what does.

Long-term stress

Stress long-term is not a badge of honour. It’s known as chronic stress and the long-term effects on the body, on the mind and on our relationships are not good.  A lot of people do not stop to reassess and can live for years with chronic stress until something happens to their health. Usually, this leads to major changes being made that many often wish they’d made before it came to such an event.  Therefore, it can be better to get ahead of our stress by implementing the above suggestions to lessen the chances of finding ourselves in chronic stress.

Talking about long term stress

At times in our lives, we can find ourselves caught up in the ‘rat race’.  We can become disconnected  from what truly matters to us and find ourselves chasing without clear direction or intention.  We miss important moments, we crave being present, we long for stillness, play, relaxation and real connection.  Unhooking from the chase we find ourselves in often means stepping back and making some courageous decisions that align with our values in order to increase contentment and thus, reduce stress in our lives.

Part of combating long-term stress is having non-negotiable preventative factors in place that help maintain our wellbeing and allow us time to pause, reflect and adjust and align to our values.  This means routine and planned pauses (e.g. holidays or sabbaticals) that give us time to stop and take stock of our lives to ensure we are where we want to be and are living how we want to live.

Yoga Nidra

It also provides relief from the intensity of stress, forces us to slow down and recover and also to drop down and realign with our values so that whatever we are facing or pursuing aligns with our deepest intentions and values.  It also allows our mind to have the space to navigate challenges optimally.

Summary

• Stress visits us all in our lives

• Stress can be beneficial in giving us the push we need to achieve our goals or work through challenges

• Long-term or chronic stress is not a sustainable state for us

• Implementing supportive strategies and routines into our lives can help reduce stress

• Stopping to check in with our values is an important part of identifying ways in which we can reduce stress and increase contentment in our lives

Reach out if you are looking for support in managing stress, please reach out for a free 15-minute consult call today.

Author bio

Melanie Rothman is a counsellor, meditation, yoga and yoga nidra teacher.  She considers herself a lifelong learner.  The goal of her practice is to support clients to achieve their goals for therapy. Master of Counselling, Grad Dip Education, Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Science)

Disclaimer:  The content contained in this blog post is not a substitute for medical or psychological treatment or advice and should not be taken as such.  If you are experiencing mental distress, please contact a medical professional for advice and treatment.