Photo Credits: The Little Reading Room
I learned about the Stress Cycle after reading Burnout: The Secret to solving the stress cycle - and it truly has been life changing. As an entrepreneur, I wear so many hats, but also I have to learn how to manage my time and energy - because not gonna lie- I burned out! I was going a million miles a minute, however a well-oiled machine I am not. If you are a female entrepreneur who wants to learn about what the Stress Cycle is, read on...
What is the Stress Cycle?
It’s the exact point what our bodies learn that they are safe - after dealing with danger. Imagine this: a shark is swimming vigorously after you - and then all of a sudden, it pivots. So you’re here, safe, and unscathed yay! End of story right? Well actually no... Your body has gone through rigorous rounds of cortisol and adrenaline spikes, and just because the shark has pivoted and stopped chasing you - the stress is still there!
Well now, let’s replace the shark with a deadline. This deadline has been chasing after you for days, and then you hand in everything you need to - yay! Go you! But.... Enter the caveat: the stress you accumulated are still stored inside! The bad news is that when this happens daily, our stress response is chronically activated. This unfortunately can lead t o blood pressure, increased chance of heart disease and issues, poor digestion, brain fog, and gut imbalances.
What can I do? Complete the stress cycle!
I wish I knew about the Stress Cycle because if I did, I would be more conscious about attending to my stress a lot more efficiently and authentically.
Before I knew about the Stress Cycle…
Because in the past, especially growing up in a stressful Asian household, and attending an elite private international school that only emphasised results over progress (or humanity I’d even say) , my inauthentic ways of distressing included:
Binge watching TV until late at night, because the stress, study and homework loads had accumulated so much during the day - I lost my autonomy, and in a way felt like I needed to “avenge” my own time back
Neglecting any movement - I grew up experiencing sports as something that was solely competitive. I hated this because I wasn’t the most athletic already, and added on the layer of comparing myself with peers in my class who were more athletically inclined
Neglecting nature - I had such a disgust for nature, and while a part of this was because I was ravaged - of my blood type that is extremely attractive for mosquitoes - I never knew how to be with nature, and felt guilty for being. I enjoyed sunshine here and there, but I never knew how crucial it was for my overall development. The less connected to nature I was, the more materialistic I became - the world I saw around me / my idea of success was to achieve things -the latest car, the newest iPhone, a bigger home, a more affluential neighbourhood, a more prestigious membership
How have I transformed now that I know about the Stress Cycle?
I know how to prioritise exercise, and reframe it as movement now. I love exercise whereas I used to hate it
I know how to acknowledge, release emotions that don’t serve me anymore, and honour them instead of trying to push them away
I’ve become a lot more honest with myself
I feel so much more aligned in my life - there is always this emphasis to “be productive/ be of use/ to be useful”, but now I know how to reframe it in a way where I am serving myself, my community, and divinity - both the divinity within and the higher good
I love myself so much more, because I give myself more permission to rest and to take it easy. I can manage my energy a lot more efficiently, and am able to do what I need, at the right time and at the right place - all with effortlessness and rewards! I’m still on the journey of learning to embody joy during the process, but I’m so proud of myself for taking incredible strides !!
It’s wonderful that we have a list of things that tells us what to do in order to release these cycles - but how do we implement them so that it is ACTUALLY do-able, sustainable, and effortless?
If you want to learn more about HOW to actually release burnout and master stress like a pro - Click HERE to sign up now to be the first insiders for my new course Stress Mastery & Burnout Recovery for Women/Womxn of Colour, and to receive a FREE De-Stress Journal Entry
I appreciate you for being here xx
Yinki