It’s the moment you’ve been planning for. The bags are packed, itinerary is in hand, and the life that you are leaving behind is in order. Excitedly you skip out the door toward the adventure of a lifetime, heart beating faster, eyes bright with the anticipation of the days to come. The hours spent researching, booking, and prepping has finally come to fruition. Then it happens. A flat tire, lost luggage, missed flight, some terrible disaster that is ruining a really good time. So much for leaving the stress behind.
How do you handle stress?
Even with the best of intentions to shrug your shoulders and let it go there are just sometimes when too much is just too much. When we spend months or even years to save up for the adventure of our dreams and it doesn’t go the way that was expected can be devastating. It’s hard enough toiling and stressing out in every day life. Working 50 weeks a year to get two or if your fortunate four really great, or not so great, weeks of rest and relaxation. It’s what led me to RV life. But surprise! Learning to manage travel, work, tiny space living, and 24/7 with your partner is not easy and the way you manage your own habits can make all the difference in the world.
Stress occurs when we believe that a situation is more than we can cope with and we all handle it differently. Whether your an eater, a drinker, a spender, a smoker, a worrier, an introvert, or angry if it’s your coping mechanism when you are not stressed then it will escalate when you are. A study conducted by the University of Southern California on the habits of students throughout a semester found that under the stress of exams students tend to fall back on old habits that do not require much thought or willpower. So we must exam our own habits and how they affect us.
How stress hurts
There are a number of reasons to find healthy habits when it comes to dealing with stress. What we are thinking in our mind has an internal reaction that affects us both mentally and physically.That little voice in our head that is full of what if’s can drive us to indulge. It’s full of negative thoughts like this is impossible, now everything is ruined, or my world is falling apart. It becomes a constant chatter of what seems like perfectly reasonable thought as you work through the dilemma. As the reasoning continues the worry and alarm sets in. It’s a vicious cycle that not only occupies our minds but wrecks havoc on our bodies.
When our mind races with anxious thoughts the message that you are giving your body is “Help, I’m in danger!”. This sets off a chain reaction and the flight or fight response is initiated. The heart races in anticipation of increased blood flow needed to muscles and lungs, the breath increases for more oxygen so that we can to fight the beast before us. Only it is the beast in our minds that we are fighting and our body does not know the difference. When we play that drama over and over again in our heads our body never gets a break. Chronic worry can lead to many ailments including insomnia and high blood pressure, pain, depression and even more extreme illnesses like heart disease.
How do I stop this ?
Creating healthy habits will empower us to fall back on good habits rather than bad when we are under stress. Whether we are traveling, working on the road or in an office, or going about our daily routines the more we treat ourselves with kindness and mindfulness, the better we will handle a hard situation. Understanding your particular response like eating or lashing out in times of high stress will better help you to pinpoint how you do respond versus how you would like to respond.
Meditating, increased exercise, consistent sleep pattern, and healthy eating are all ways that we can manage the daily stress in our lives. This will give the body a strong foundation with which to handle the surge of hormones excreted at high anxiety times. Learning to redirect the little voice who wants you to take on the world will help to create positive responses both physically and mentally in times of increased stress.
How does that help me in the moment?
Our daily habits help us to form a foundation in our lives that will help us to choose a healthy meal or a walk over a drink or a spending spree. Being aware of your triggers, responses, and weaknesses will help you to make better decisions in good and bad times. However in that moment, the one where your tire has blown or a hurricane has engulfed your island getaway and you are left trapped in your lay over city, here are 5 things that you can do to make a bad situation better.
1. Breathe. You’ve heard it time and time again and that’s because it’s true. Take the time to breathe deep and be aware of your breath. We often hold our breath in times of stress. Take 5-10 deep breaths when you feel anxiety building will prevent the flight or fight response from continuing then you can get to business.
2. Be Aware. What are you telling yourself? What is running through your head? This situation may really suck but when you look at the bigger picture right here right now you are okay. It’s easy to take a disappointment and turn it into the worst thing that ever happened. Change the thoughts in your head and look for a solution.
3. Break. Walk away for a moment. Give yourself a chance to collect your thoughts and assess the situation. It may not be as bad as you thought. Here is your chance to make a choice about how you want to handle this.
4. Be proactive. There are other possibilities. This may change your plans today but this is just one day of many. Get out there. There other flights, other bosses, another island, time, tire. The point is no one is stopping you from finding another alternative, only you can do that.
5. Make the Best of it. While the situation may not be ideal sometimes, yes here comes another cliche, sometimes it was meant to be. On the road I have found some of our favorite places were the unintended ones. They are like hidden surprises. Life is the same. When your focus is redirected you may find something that you never knew could be so good.
Life has a way of throwing us curve balls just when we think that we have things figured out. We can react out of fear and uncomfortableness or with strength and intention. When we are mindful of ourselves and aware of our possibilities than we have the ability to turn any bad situation good and save our minds and bodies from the turmoil that comes with unnecessary worry. So do what you have to do to get out of this mess and go have a great time.!
www.apa.org/helpcenter/manage
https://scopeblog.standford.edu