Stress is part of everyday life, and to some extent, it is healthy. The downside of stress is when you experience too much of it too often. The symptoms of too much stress are:
- Worrying.
- Trouble relaxing.
- Trouble sleeping.
- Irritability.
- Physical complaints.
- Reduced concentration.
- Unable to clear your head.
- Something that used to take you half an hour now takes an hour.
- You get caught up in day-to-day issues (days, even weeks fly by).
- You make more mistakes.
The danger of frequent stress is that it is insidious; you tend to get used to it. It slowly blurs the boundaries of feeling what is good for you and what is not. Not addressing the cause of this stress puts you at risk of becoming fatigued and, after prolonged exposure, of burning out.
It is important to remember that stress is a physical response to an emergency situation: a fight or flight response to danger, to accomplish a great feat. The boost (stress) that your body gives you in this situation is meant to be temporary, so your body needs rest afterward to recover. You can logically deduce from this that when you deliver this extra feat day in and day out, your body’s reserves will deplete, and you will start overtaxing yourself.
My coaching focuses on supporting people with stress, fatigue, and burnout. You will gain insight into how you are exceeding your limits and how you can take better care of yourself. You will also relearn to feel what is good for you and what is not so you can maintain a good, healthy, and sustainable balance after your coaching.