Stress is known as the greatest cause of illness. It’s also a natural current that will be with us our whole lives – it’s unavoidable. It’s how we deal with stress that makes all the difference.
From the initial stress of childbirth, we arrive into a world that at some point will deny us our basic needs. How often this occurs, and how we experience and respond, is key.
Our true self is the self that handles stress like water off a duck’s back. This is the self that shines authentically – without doubt or blockage.
But, we’re not always in touch with our true self, and, sometimes, stress can get the best of us. What do we know about stress, and how can we overcome it to reclaim our magnificence?
We know that the greatest cause of blockage in the natural energy system of the body is emotional stress. Stress is physically held in smooth muscle. When energy becomes congested, the natural healing ability of the body is impaired. Stress literally causes a breakdown in the body’s natural self-healing mechanisms.
We don’t just breakdown at the occurrence of stress, but, often, the thought of stress is worse than the stress itself. When we sub-consciously protect ourselves from the expectation of suffering, this “armoring” becomes a defense mechanism that holds us back from experiencing life and ourselves to the fullest.
And, energy blocks result. These create an array of symptoms from depression and anxiety to illness, pain and suffering. Beneath the layers of protection and blockage lies your core self, your true self.
If we resist feeling our emotions and releasing them, energy blocks will ultimately form deep layers of protection, emotional scarring, trauma and fear. Negative memories (emotional stress and trauma) are suppressed or buried often outside of conscious awareness. Perhaps the only way of knowing these emotional issues exist, is the presence of illness.
It is not the stress or the stressful emotions themselves causing a problem, it’s how we suppress and resist feeling these emotions that cause problems. The stress only increases when we suppress it. The secret to finding where you hide your hurts, is in where you feel an absence of love. This shadow self is where you repress your needs and wants.
You have to realize that it is ALWAYS okay to express emotions.
Now, it’s time to reclaim your authentic self (the spontaneous, loving, open, expressive being you were born to be) and stand in your pure magnificence…
Here are 9 ways to overcome stress and discover your true self:
1. Allow yourself to fully feel and experience your emotions.
Feel every part of you, especially the parts you previously resisted (fear/ anger/ anxiety).
Move your goal from removing, escaping, or blocking, to allowing (non-judgment).
To do this, try the Gay Hendricks Method: When you have stress or pain, ask yourself:
“I wonder what I am angry or anxious about?”
2. Acceptance and Integration of your past.
Invite an ongoing process into your life – A process of letting go of your past. Clear your history.
How? Journal–examine your life, your history, your stories…allow and accept it, and then gradually let it go.
Acceptance is the most liberating step you can take for clearing away stress.
3. Find your source.
Life energy is expressed through our essential self – the wellspring of all healing, joy, creativity and wisdom.
Understand your unique gifts and talents to reclaim and reactivate your innate self – your capacity to shine.
4. Let your Inner Child out to Play
Renew yourself and find the playful expressive being inside you, the one that is open to sharing his/her truth and standing in pure magnificence.
Play! Dance. Listen to loud music. Act like a kid! Whatever works to bring out your inner child. Express yourself.
5. Exercise your Body.
Movement has been proven by countless studies to be the key in improving our stress threshold (our ability to handle stress). Move in any way you like, and do it regularly. From a walk in the park, to a swim, to a boxing session at your local fitness club, just do whatever works for you to get you moving!
6. Be here now.
Once, we have integrated our past experiences, set the past free, and dealt with our shadow, we can now come into full embodiment in the present. Bring the fullness of your being and awareness into the now.
When you are truly present and able to bring yourself into the here and now, then any stress that you do encounter will be something that you’re able to handle. If you’re present, you can usually deal with whatever comes at you (unless it’s a tsunami of course, in that case, run!)
7. Expand your brain.
Increase your ability to handle stress by expanding your access to “whole brain” functioning. The possibilities are endless when you have an expanded awareness of yourself and the world in which you live.
How? Practice Yoga and Meditation.
Yoga and mindfulness meditation have proven benefits for overcoming stress, and are based on thousands of years of practice.
8. Share with friends and family.
Share your life with loved ones. Don’t suffer alone. Let people know how you’re feeling. Engage with people via social interactions in community forums, religious centers, clubs, sports, etc.
We are part of a community of people, and nobody needs to ever feel alone. Spending time with friends and family is an important way to deal with stress, and promote health and wellbeing.
9. Love unconditionally.
Love is a heightened state of awareness where personal boundaries melt. Love is the bedrock for your authentic self. Beyond all self-protective armoring, love is where you come from, your true essence, the ultimate truth about who you are.
Reclaim your love for yourself and your loved ones and this love will release stress and fear.
Love is truly going home.
Photo Credit: Becky Wetherington, JMR
© Greenster Tribe for 2013. |
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