{"id":4405,"date":"2017-03-23T18:47:01","date_gmt":"2017-03-23T18:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theexecutivehappinesscoach.com\/?p=4405"},"modified":"2018-10-02T17:01:19","modified_gmt":"2018-10-02T21:01:19","slug":"stop-stress-before-it-stops-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theexecutivehappinesscoach.com\/2017\/03\/stop-stress-before-it-stops-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Stress Before It Stops You"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/strong> Finally, Remember The Rule of Threes: A person can live for three weeks without food, three days without sleep or water, and three minutes without air\u2026but only three seconds without hope.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Keep it simple: Breathe Deeply, Drink Deeply, Sleep Deeply, Hope Deeply; and occasionally visit the dark side, because Chocolate.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0 <\/strong> I live in the United States, and everyone I speak with recently seems incredibly stressed. Mixing a contentious political environment with a high degree of uncertainty about our workplaces and economic and social environments has pushed many people to the far edge of anxiety. And this is a global issue. A little stress keeps you … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5789,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,34,11,40],"tags":[190,30,115,41],"yoast_head":"\n
\nI live in the United States, and everyone I speak with recently seems incredibly stressed.<\/strong> Mixing a contentious political environment with a high degree of uncertainty about our workplaces and economic and social environments has pushed many people to the far edge of anxiety.
\nAnd this is a global issue.<\/strong>
\nA little stress keeps you laser-focused and productive, but higher levels do long-term damage.<\/strong> Too much stress narrows your thinking and diminishes creativity, reducing your capacity to deal with, well, the stress! Worse yet, stress releases Cortisol into your system, keeping your body on constant alert and, if sustained, eating away at your organs and leading to disease and breakdowns.
\nManaging your stress is a critical skill AND you should also know how to prevent <\/em>stress.<\/strong> The degree to which you balance your attention and energy can dramatically downshift how much stress shows up and how long it sticks around.
\nAdequate exercise and proper nutrition are essential to building a more resilient system. Today, however, I’m going to focus on going deeper in a few areas that are less talked about.<\/strong><\/p>\nFour Ways to Prevent Stress by Going Deep<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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\nConversationally, breathing deeply is a powerful tool because, well, think about what you can’t do when you are taking a deep breath\u2026 talk! <\/strong>When you manage yourself more effectively in conversations, you reduce stress-inducing conflict and potentially eliminate the regret that accompanies reactive behavior. Breathe into your deep belly and notice that you listen better and respond more effectively.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\nThe incredibly simple solution?<\/strong> Whenever I felt even the tiniest inkling of a headache coming on, I learned to head straight to the nearest water source and immediately drink 12 to 20 ounces of plain cool water.\u00a0 Giving my body enough liquid allowed it to relax out of famine mode. I’m not saying that’s always the answer, but given that our bodies are mostly water, can you see how it makes abundant sense?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
\nSimple, though perhaps not easy: sleep for at least seven hours a night in a cool, dark room, without technology<\/strong>.\u00a0 And challenge the myth that you have to sleep less to be a superhero, supermom, super CEO.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the 2% of the population who have a gene that allows them to function well with less sleep are the people who tend to be glorified. If you are in the 98% and you are not getting adequate sleep, you are deliberately stressing your brain, reducing your creative output, and in the long run, killing your productivity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
Do This For Yourself: <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nAs Happiness Principle #7 reminds you: Choose to Respond<\/em><\/strong>. <\/em>What happens is going to happen, regardless. Accept constant, discontinuous change as reality and instead of reacting, respond with curiosity.<\/em>\u00a0 The 13 Principles of Happiness offer a framework for a less-stress life.\u00a0 Print a copy here<\/a>, and post it on your workstation or fridge as a reminder to live your life deeply and from a happy space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"