Catch stress early, by practicing mindfulness

There are so many ways you can practice mindfulness, and I encourage you to try many. They will give you a greater understanding of what it means to be YOU!  

As a therapist I am constantly urging people to practice mindfulness so they can become aware of the EARLY SIGNS of stress responses. Most people recognize signs of stress when they are distressed, which is too late because stress is now causing more problems! And who wants that?

One of the ways we can identify an increase in stress is through behavior, so if you can begin identifying your stress-indicating behavior(s), then you are more likely to do something to reduce your stress.  

I can be pretty stubborn (anyone with me on this?). I am unlikely to say I am stressed until I am at the point of being anxious or overwhelmed (which is pretty high intensity for me). But that is too late. By then, all of the unintended consequences of high stress have set in, and I have to work SO MUCH HARDER to reduce my stress. 

Which is why in 21 Days to Less Stress, and most of the workshops I run, I teach you how to become AWARE of all the ways stress shows up, including behavior, EARLY. 

Here is a list of behaviors that are like my “check engine” light: meaning when I recognize I’m doing them, it FORCES me to accept that I am stressed (remember, I am stubborn). 

In no particular order, I now present you with things I do that don’t really help…

Social media scrolling

Eating sugary foods (which I typically don’t buy, but somehow with kids we always have them around)

Drinking coffee like it’s my job

Staying up late (sometimes due to insomnia, often due to mindless scrolling or working)

Skipping workouts

Procrastinating

Drinking more coffee

Skipping workouts

Straying from my meditation practice