Do you feel like people expect you to be a workaholic, or a Super-Mom? We often succumb to societal pressure to out-perform, over-achieve, overwork, overload our "plate", and to feel guilty that we don't do even more. For those of us trying to juggle too much and afraid of dropping things in our intricate balancing act, we may be too caught up in fear to realize that we don't pay much attention to what is really happening right now. I mean right now, in our immediate vicinity.
I was one of those people. In the last year, I've kept my chin up, guarded my thoughts vigilantly about thinking in scarcity mode, and tried harder to make the same amount of money. What was I thinking?
I was running on emergency mode, even though I kept my positive attitude and minded my language and thought I had a relatively balanced life. I had emergency-thinking, and I didn't even realize it. Every obligation I chose to accept as a burden; it was automatically urgent and added to my sense of feeling overwhelmed. My proverbial plate became so full I could no longer tell what I needed to do first -- or next -- to get anything moving. I became so mired in indecision I didn't get anywhere.
Thankfully I now have a methodology for handling this panic mode.
"I work better under pressure."
Why is it that so many people ignore the growing evidence that stress is detrimental to their health? I have an answer now. Like many other things that are bad for us, we can become addicted to the stress hormones. For a time they make us feel great -- absolutely bursting with energy. And we are more productive under pressure -- for long enough to build up the delusion that it is a better mode of working, that it can be sustained indefinitely, and that we're doing just fine. If we can only get over the next obstacle, we can calm down again and everything can return to "normal."
We don't work better when we're panicked. We only think we work better when we panic. We become blinded in the immediacy of everything that there is to do. We might get some things done, but panic mode is not a planning or prioritizing mode. We don't see the forest for the trees: it's running through the forest in terror that the trees are going to suddenly come to life and bite you. While you're busy dodging trees, you might actually mange to get something important done, or you might be doing the wrong things and come out on the wrong side of the forest.
When we're panicked we imagine that everything is a priority, and it needs to be done now. To succeed in panic mode, we have to be super-human. This is where the myths of "Super-Mom" come in, this is where people are burning the candle at both ends, and this is where you find workaholics. The result is an overwhelming sense of guilt over things you couldn't get done, being absolutely unable to figure out what to do next, procrastination, insomnia or oversleeping, and binge eating.
Stress Symptoms
We all hear about stress, we read about the detrimental effect stress has on people, but a doctor will simply tell you that you need "to relax". Frankly, the doctors, the psychiatrists, etc. are still looking at symptoms -- they don't acknowledge that stress is a symptom. What is really going on at the bottom of everything that is causing such a biological fuss? They know some things that help -- say hypnosis and guided relaxation, a vacation -- they know what chemicals and compounds are running through our body (cortisol and epinephrine for example), they know the detrimental effects (hypertension, heart disease, diabetes), but they haven't really figured out what helps people control it on an as-needed at-will basis.
I'd like to share some of the ideas I've discovered that help with this everything's-a-panic mentality.
Energy Depletion
In ancient Chinese Daoist wisdom, we are taught that people have "Three Treasures" that we need to cherish. These are Jing-Chi-Shen -- three forms of human energy at our disposal. Without going into their philosophy deeply in this article, this is key to understanding what is going on with stress. Humans have 3 forms of energy we can choose to use, but we're often using the wrong type of energy for a given situation. The result is being out of sync with the solutions to the situation we're in, sometimes to the point that we become unbalanced and health problems are the result.
We experience stress, and the physical symptoms that doctors have correlated to stress, when we're using up our most precious reserves of energy. One could say that stress depletes energy. On a biological level, this energy depletion is represented by chemicals and the use of biological reserves of energy. On a subjective or emotional level, stress is fear, worry, concern, panic, feeling overwhelmed, and exhaustion.
I have discovered a method for getting control over your personal energy use and consciously being able to shift between the three types of energy. This method also helps people recognize when they're putting themselves at grave risk by using the wrong type of energy. Here are some quick tips from my 9-step SURRENDER(TM) system for the transformation of stress energy to more healthy types of energy use:
Even though we don't come with an owners' manual for how to take the best care of ourselves, I hope that this information will help you start a new chapter of better energy use in your life so that you can be happier, enjoy yourself more, live a healthier and longer life, and have more time to do everything you want to do.
Criss Ittermann is the founder of Take Your Consciousness Higher™, a program that includes the SURRENDER™ method for handling burnout symptoms. For related information and a free seminar named "From Exhausted to Elated" see http://LiberatedLifeCoaching.com/Events. You may reprint this article in its entirety, providing that everything including this paragraph remains unchanged.
I was one of those people. In the last year, I've kept my chin up, guarded my thoughts vigilantly about thinking in scarcity mode, and tried harder to make the same amount of money. What was I thinking?
I was running on emergency mode, even though I kept my positive attitude and minded my language and thought I had a relatively balanced life. I had emergency-thinking, and I didn't even realize it. Every obligation I chose to accept as a burden; it was automatically urgent and added to my sense of feeling overwhelmed. My proverbial plate became so full I could no longer tell what I needed to do first -- or next -- to get anything moving. I became so mired in indecision I didn't get anywhere.
Thankfully I now have a methodology for handling this panic mode.
"I work better under pressure."
Why is it that so many people ignore the growing evidence that stress is detrimental to their health? I have an answer now. Like many other things that are bad for us, we can become addicted to the stress hormones. For a time they make us feel great -- absolutely bursting with energy. And we are more productive under pressure -- for long enough to build up the delusion that it is a better mode of working, that it can be sustained indefinitely, and that we're doing just fine. If we can only get over the next obstacle, we can calm down again and everything can return to "normal."
We don't work better when we're panicked. We only think we work better when we panic. We become blinded in the immediacy of everything that there is to do. We might get some things done, but panic mode is not a planning or prioritizing mode. We don't see the forest for the trees: it's running through the forest in terror that the trees are going to suddenly come to life and bite you. While you're busy dodging trees, you might actually mange to get something important done, or you might be doing the wrong things and come out on the wrong side of the forest.
When we're panicked we imagine that everything is a priority, and it needs to be done now. To succeed in panic mode, we have to be super-human. This is where the myths of "Super-Mom" come in, this is where people are burning the candle at both ends, and this is where you find workaholics. The result is an overwhelming sense of guilt over things you couldn't get done, being absolutely unable to figure out what to do next, procrastination, insomnia or oversleeping, and binge eating.
Stress Symptoms
We all hear about stress, we read about the detrimental effect stress has on people, but a doctor will simply tell you that you need "to relax". Frankly, the doctors, the psychiatrists, etc. are still looking at symptoms -- they don't acknowledge that stress is a symptom. What is really going on at the bottom of everything that is causing such a biological fuss? They know some things that help -- say hypnosis and guided relaxation, a vacation -- they know what chemicals and compounds are running through our body (cortisol and epinephrine for example), they know the detrimental effects (hypertension, heart disease, diabetes), but they haven't really figured out what helps people control it on an as-needed at-will basis.
I'd like to share some of the ideas I've discovered that help with this everything's-a-panic mentality.
Energy Depletion
In ancient Chinese Daoist wisdom, we are taught that people have "Three Treasures" that we need to cherish. These are Jing-Chi-Shen -- three forms of human energy at our disposal. Without going into their philosophy deeply in this article, this is key to understanding what is going on with stress. Humans have 3 forms of energy we can choose to use, but we're often using the wrong type of energy for a given situation. The result is being out of sync with the solutions to the situation we're in, sometimes to the point that we become unbalanced and health problems are the result.
We experience stress, and the physical symptoms that doctors have correlated to stress, when we're using up our most precious reserves of energy. One could say that stress depletes energy. On a biological level, this energy depletion is represented by chemicals and the use of biological reserves of energy. On a subjective or emotional level, stress is fear, worry, concern, panic, feeling overwhelmed, and exhaustion.
I have discovered a method for getting control over your personal energy use and consciously being able to shift between the three types of energy. This method also helps people recognize when they're putting themselves at grave risk by using the wrong type of energy. Here are some quick tips from my 9-step SURRENDER(TM) system for the transformation of stress energy to more healthy types of energy use:
- Stop - Pay attention to your needs: is your current self-care routine enough?
- Practice Unconditional Acceptance of yourself, your work, and your challenges.
- Reclaim Your Time - Examine your calendar and make space to take care of yourself.
- Release Pressure & Obligations - Let go of projects that are crowding out your dreams.
- Evaluate your activities, goals and dreams. Try life coaching or join a support group.
- Needs and Wants - commit to self-care and healthy habits. Do things you want to do.
- Express Deep Gratitude and Blessings for yourself and your moments of rest.
- Find ways to Energize. Work on having a positive attitude and quick healthy pick-me-ups throughout the day.
- Give yourself easy and inexpensive Rewards for everything you do, even for simply trying.
Even though we don't come with an owners' manual for how to take the best care of ourselves, I hope that this information will help you start a new chapter of better energy use in your life so that you can be happier, enjoy yourself more, live a healthier and longer life, and have more time to do everything you want to do.
Criss Ittermann is the founder of Take Your Consciousness Higher™, a program that includes the SURRENDER™ method for handling burnout symptoms. For related information and a free seminar named "From Exhausted to Elated" see http://LiberatedLifeCoaching.com/Events. You may reprint this article in its entirety, providing that everything including this paragraph remains unchanged.