How To Reduce Stress When Regularly Encountering Stressors?

Video Transcript

How can you reduce stress when regularly encountering stressors?

As long as we are alive, we’ll encounter stress. That’s the nature of our reality.

However, most of our stress comes from behavior: the ways we think and act. And since we control how we think and act, we have great control over the stress we experience despite our external challenges.

The more behavioral work we do, the more control we have.

For instance, Marilyn and I had an incredibly challenging year with three major surgeries in 6 months. And through it all, we still worked. Yet, the stress we experienced was minimal.

That was because we kept our behaviors in check and engaged in regular stress reduction activities, such as regular deep relaxation, delegating where possible, getting good sleep, healthy boundaries, and depending on and trusting loved ones to help us through the rough spots.

However, first and foremost, we trusted God to do what was best for us, so we didn’t worry about the outcomes.

All in all, things went pretty well despite the medical appointments, surgeries, recoveries, follow-ups, and work responsibilities.

Even though we had a lot of challenges, stress wasn’t a factor.

I believe you can eliminate hyperstimulation and anxiety symptoms despite encountering stressors. It will come down to managing behavior, setting healthy boundaries, and routinely practicing healthy stress management strategies.

Remember, most of us don’t have the ideal recovery environment because life continues despite wanting to recover. But we can recover when we make the necessary adjustments.

Yes, you will likely have to modify your normal activities somewhat to accommodate your stress management strategies, but healthy boundaries give us the tools to make those changes.

If you struggle with managing stressors, I recommend discussing your situation with an experienced anxiety disorder therapist. Knowing more about your situation and behaviors can provide insights on keeping your stress in check despite the stressors that come your way.