Then you probably need a break.
Did you know that your body doesn’t know the difference between good stress, like exercise or working on a project you love & bad stress, like feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or sacrificing sleep?
One of the best ways to know how you’re managing your stress levels is checking in with your body. And if you’ve got the sniffles right now…then you probably need a break.
The truth is, some stress can actually be good for us. If we think about 20 minutes of high intensity exercise, we can imagine a sort of bell curve – We begin to raise our heart rate, it continues to rise (or peak), then we eventually begin slow our speed and cool down.
This type of stress, with a beginning, middle, and end is GREAT for us:)
What happens to most of us when we over do it & over-caffeinate is we experience the beginning and middle of stress, but we never get to the end. So, instead of experiencing a bellcurve of stress, we start climbing up stress stairs and never come down…that is – until we get sick.
Then if you add environmental stress during the winter, such as walking from warm cars, through cold parking lots, into building with radiators on full blast, a cold is virtually guaranteed!
Here are some things I like to do when my body and brain need a break:
- Switch from coffee to tea
- Go for a long walk (weather permitting)
- Take a 5 min “brain break” and meditate (or longer if you can make the time)
- Journal
This week, I’ll be cutting my caffeine intake back to half a cup of coffee in the AM, then switching to water and herbal tea the rest of the day.
Where could you make a small shift towards kindness this week? I want to hear from you!
The best things in life are shared.
If time management is contributing to your stress, check this out —> HERE.
Did you enjoy this content? Listen to this episode of Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs featuring Lisa Graft.
