My name is Sophie and I’m a stressaholic
My name is Sophie and I’m a stressaholic
Here are my therapeutic musings…
🧠 I’ve been thinking about how addicted I’ve been to stress. (April is Stress Awareness Month, so it’s a pertinent time to consider the role it plays in our lives.)
Let’s face it: stress is a part of modern life. And, like most things, it exists on a spectrum. Acute stress is situational. Like moving house, starting a new job or experiencing an unexpected event. We generally move through this intact, unless the unexpected event is particularly traumatic. However, acute stress can turn into chronic stress if it becomes more frequent. This is when an ongoing situation takes a significant toll on our emotional and physical wellbeing.
For so long, stress was a core part of my existence. I was juggling impossibly challenging relationships, launching a media brand with zero experience, running a startup after multiple funding rounds fell through, dealing with personal loss, the list goes on and on…
I got so good at stress that when it stopped, I found myself getting bored!
You see, when we experience stress, our brains release cortisol, which can create a temporary "high" that makes us feel more alert and purposeful. This can be rewarding in the short-term, but chronic stress can actually rewire our brains and make us more prone to seeking out stressful situations in the first place. Over time, this cycle can be difficult to break.
What’s more, research shows that experiencing stress during childhood can lead to changes in brain function and structure that affect how we respond to stress in adulthood. In other words, if you experienced chronic stress at a young age, your brain is wired to perceive more situations as stressful than it would in someone who did not experience chronic stress as a child. This can make you more susceptible to stress and, conversely, more likely to become addicted to the heightened state of arousal that comes with it.
A minor example of this might be if you always find yourself running late to meetings. It’s possible that you may actually be addicted to the rush of rushing.
📢 Ask yourself:
“Am I seeking out stressful scenarios because they feel familiar to me?”
“Does being stressed mask deeper issues?”
“When I feel stressed, can I retreat to a safe place to recover and consider my next steps?”
💡The revelation: We can learn a lot from lobsters when it comes to dealing with stress.
We can learn to take a step back and allow ourselves time out to recover and grow. We can learn to adapt and come back stronger.
Lobsters become most stressed and uncomfortable as they outgrow their shells. And so they produce a new shell that’s bigger, but also initially softer, than the old one. But when they shed their old shell, they become vulnerable and exposed. This is when they retreat to their hiding place to avoid potential danger, while their new shell hardens.
The point is that stress can help us to grow, but only up to a point. Then it’s time to take a pause and rejuvenate.
So here I am, trying to practice the art of ‘slow living’. No new startup for me, working with a limited number of clients, being a mummy and giving myself the permission to exist without stress. And do things at a comfortable pace (to the extent that the baby allows me to!).
At least for now. Until my new shell is ready.
💛 Product I’m loving: Simply CBD Patches, which I’ve been using on my back to relieve me of nerve pain and sore muscles. If you’re looking to treat localised pain at home and nothing helps, please do give these a try.
Thanks for being here,
