impRAWvise 

Stress can be a pretty challenging way of living our lives, especially when it becomes a daily state of being or when it becomes something that we regularly tune into. Of course, there are moments and situations in life when stress is the natural response that our bodies, our minds, or both go into, but when it happens to much or to often it might become a threat to our overall well being and health. Stress can be mental, physical or emotional in its nature, and most times in is a combination of more that just one factor. It affects not only our state of calm and peace, but also the balance of our bodies. It basically kicks us off balance, sometimes as a natural adaptive and responsive reaction to potentially dangerous situations and some other times mostly as a simulation of what could possibly happen. As far as our bodies know it is good to be prepared for the fight or flight situations, but still when it comes to the challenges of our modern day lives, there might be many moments when we just get lost into an overprotective, reactive mode.

Why is stress dangerous after all if it is a natural response to potential threats? Well, the answer is pretty simple on one hand: when our bodies get into that fight or flight mode, there is no more energy available for our digestion or for other healing and restorative processes. This simply means that we are going to have some trouble living a life that is fulfilling and filled with well being opportunities, simply because we might just be missing them as we are trying to protect ourselves or run away from what seems like a threat to our bodies or our minds. Therefore, when we are in stress, our bodies do not function properly anymore and we might get to have health issues such as pains, inflammations and not only, we might also not be able to make the right choices anymore, so therefore there is also an emotional component attached to it that lets us know that we might just stay exactly where we are and take no further steps (no matter if what is perceived as the potential danger is not real at all).

I have been able to notice from my own experience during stressful times of my life, or what I would have perceived as stressful situations, that sometimes its just that idea that I am in a stressful state that completely changes the way I see the whole picture, therefore affecting my ability to think clearly and make conscious, mindful choices. When I do manage to calm myself down, though some breathing exercises, a nice walk in nature or just taking a break from the stressful situation, I can that just see everything way more clearly and I can make a decision from a place of being grounded, balanced and confident in my abilities to do the right thing and just focus on solutions rather than on what could go wrong. Rejection, uncertainty, trying new things, are just a few ways in which stress can show up in all of our lives, and the truth is that at some point it will show up in one way or another for sure, but the best thing to do is not to be afraid of it or try to obsessively control it, and instead to just allow things to unfold naturally and have faith that we are after all, always guided and taken care of.

Its usually that the body or the mind, or most likely both, go into a little bit or a lot of chaos when it comes to stressful situations and many times, trying to control everything or make things go our way by forcing something are just going to make things harder and possibly worse. When we let go of that desire to control everything or be right in every situation, than we can just surrender ourselves to a greater source of guidance, a source that lives within each and every one of us and that is available for us always, at all times. Maybe we try a meditation, do a yoga practice, go for a walk, or whatever feels like a calming and reflective opportunity for us, that is going to be a moment of peaceful guidance that brings us back in sync with our true selves and allow us to bring our contribution into the world in the most beautiful and amazing way. Then we can truly and fully live life to its fullest as we have learned to enjoy life in each of its nuances and be thankful for all the good moments and the challenging moments as they allow us to heal ourselves and bring more light into the world.