Siphoning off Stress

I’m finishing up a book called Burnout, by Emily and Amelia Nagoski. (Because I feel somewhat responsible for the books I mention here, I can tell you that some parts of this one are really helpful, informative and scientific, and others are oddly political and ideological so I skipped those). The book discusses how to deal with chronic stress that can lead to burnout, which is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (inability to be empathic or caring), and a decreased sense of accomplishment and a sense of futility.

 

When your body faces a stressor, it sets off the stress response, fight/flight or freeze. Even when the stressor is dealt with, that doesn’t mean the stress response is over. In fact, the stress response is often still coursing through your body, building on top of previous incomplete stress responses. Over time, this can lead to burnout.

 

Signs you have a buildup of stress include

-doing pointless activities over and over or engaging in self-destructive behavior

-sudden overwhelming burst of pain out of proportion to what’s going on in the here and now

-shutting down and hiding out (ex. not being able to get out of bed)

-body feeling out of whack (ex. recurring infection, chronic pain, injuries that won’t heal)

 

 

Ways to deal with incomplete stress cycles include

-physical activity – first and foremost. 20-60 minutes a day of physical activity that gets you breathing deeply, and when that’s not possible, at least stretching and shaking out your body after a stressful situation

-deep breathing

-creative expression

-a real cry

-positive social interaction, which could be something small like ordering a coffee and smiling at the barista

-laughter

-affection, like a deep hug

 

It’s important for your health to do at least some combination of these activities on a frequent basis so you can siphon off all those stress chemicals. Even if the stressor is over (ex. you finally got to hang up with the shadchan), the stress is in you so you want to give yourself time to deal with that.

 

This was valuable information for me and I hope this is helpful to you, too!