While running around during your day today did you find a frenetic voice screaming at you "You're Late! You'll Never Get There On Time!" Or maybe " You Are So Far Behind, You Will Never Finish!" Or even the more subtle " I'm Starving, I Didn't Eat All Day!"
This screaming voice can dominate your life make you feel unworthy and out of touch. But there is a way to quiet that voice long before it has a chance to utter it's siren cry.
Your body gives out signals long before the levels of stress and anxiety have to explode in an internal scream. By learning to recognize these signals you can take steps to release the stress and manage the anxiety.
So how do I do that, you ask? By pausing occasionally, paying attention to what you are feeling inside, noticing any subtle signal of stress entering your system, and then diffusing that stress before it becomes unmanageable.
To learn to recognize the signals of stress, try this simple exercise. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed, sit down, and close your eyes. Picture a past situation where you have been stressed out, recalling that moment with as much clarity as possible. As that memory get clear, notice any changes in your body. Are you tensing up any muscles? Are you breathing more rapidly? Are certain parts of your body changing temperature? These are the signals that you body gives out when it is under stress.
As you learn to recognize them it will become easier and easier to stave off the screaming voice of stress and find a quieter more healthy way to release your anxiety.