It has been said that everything that happens to us is stored in our bodies, we know this most closely in the form of tension or injury. Tension and injury often having lingering effects in our bodies, that can last months or even longer before they are finally released from our bodies. But are they every completely released or do they make their presence known again, somewhere down the line. Unfortunately, lots of injuries tend to have long bouts of tightness and tension and strain that lingers in our bodies. But if the idea that everything that happens to us is stored in our bodies, is it also possible that it may be more than physical?
We often come home and either have had a fantastic day or a bad day, and when its a bad day, how long does it linger on for? Do we walk out of the office door and head home and forget it on the way, or do we bring it home with us, take it to bed with us and still hang onto it when we walk back in the office in the morning? Eckhart Tolle believes we create and maintain problems because they give us a sense of identity, he also says: “Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.” Discerning how our stress serves us, or doesn’t, may help us to let it go.
Tension and stress can not only affect our health but our relationships, even the one with ourselves. So how do we free ourselves of the unneeded stress? A good start is to discern what directly corresponds to us or our lives, and what is a reaction to other people’s behaviour and feelings. We often tend to take on a lot of stress due to the behaviour and expressed feelings of others, when it generally has no large effect on our lives. Being able to discern what behaviours and even feelings are those of other people’s we can begin to let some of the unneeded stress go. Often when people share their feelings or an experience we tend to have some sort of emotional reaction, perhaps its the same one as the other person or its your perception of what was shared with you.
Finding balance is important in life and for our health, being able to listen without judgement to the stories, thoughts and feelings of others allows us to not to take on their problems but rather just giving us the ability to listen to somebody else. In addition to discerning what is your stress and what is somebody else’s allows you to be better able to deal with what is yours. Finding balance between work and play is a great start. Do you often take the stresses of the day home with you, or even bring your work home with you? This can allow the separation that you need for yourself and relationships to be hindered when work becomes home or vice versa.
Not only is how we deal with stress, or who’s it is, but how we react when we are under stress. Do we eat, do we drink, do we smoke, do we hibernate or curl up on the couch? All of these things can tend to actually make us feel worse, rather than better. We only “numb” ourselves but don’t resolve the problem. How we deal with the stress can ultimately relate to how our bodies react to the stress, do we constantly drink coffee or eat when stressed, this can affect the process of the body and cause us to gain unnecessary weight. Do we have tension headaches, or strain in our backs, or necks? How do we sit at our desks, do we get out and walk around, especially in the moments of stress?
Stress is a huge inhibitor to our lives and livelihood, and one of the best ways to help decrease stress is exercise. The endorphins released when exercising can not only make us feel better (body, mind and soul) but helps to maintain that life work balance. Struggling on where to start or what to do to start freeing yourself from stress, come in and see us. Perhaps its a combination of services or perhaps its just a massage, either way you will leave feeling a little less stressed!
