Would You Believe Me if I Said: "I love Triggers"

Last week, there was a National Stress Awareness Day. I’m thinking to myself: why dedicate only one day? And you know, with the holidays approaching...there’s always that combination of excitement and stress. Perhaps the idea of a Stress Awareness Month warrants attention.

Let me start with the obvious: There are sooooo many aspects of our lives that can add to our stress levels. But it doesn’t stop there: how we chose to live our lives can also affect our level of stress.

So I wanted to start off with the topic of TRIGGERS... Are you triggered by the word? If so, I used to get that feeling at times too. Just seeing it typed out used to give me a visceral reaction.

But, I’ve learned to love the word. Why? Being aware of your triggers brings you one step closer to mastering your stress. Once I was able to recognize them, I was able to catch myself and give myself space to make a well-intended choice before I reacted.

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels

Let me paint a brief picture many of us are used to:

We’re constantly busy. Work takes up most of your time. Then of course there’s the other aspects of our lives (albeit our social life, relationships, finances, etc.) With all of these variables at play, our existence is immediately and constantly filled with demands. Deep down we know we can handle it. We feel we have to, right? But do we really want to?

But, at times those demands can add up easily with too little time to meet all of them.

So before we know it, those demands can start to act like triggers to our stress.

Often, we don’t realize that’s what’s happening until it’s too late!

So I wanted to share a few thoughts and tips to help recognize my triggers and that worked for me.

Take a step back and try asking yourself the following:

What is it about this situation that made me stressed? What was my trigger?
How can this avoid being in this mindset/position again so I wouldn’t feel stressed?

Also, try the following practices to bring you one step closer to managing your stress levels.

Prioritize your demands by asking: “What holds value to you?” Use your values to choose your activities.
When commitments seem to be adding up for you: Free up some of your time by asking for help. Sounds cliché but you are not alone. Be a boss and delegate. Have trust in your decision in seeking help.
Reserve time to take care of yourself. For real. The holiday season can be hectic, so be sure to give yourself some genuine personal time. It can be a few minutes, or a whole day. The choice is yours.

I just want to remind you, it’s a process! Follow your heart and do you, lady!