It's What's Below the Surface...

Many of us are probably pretty good at dealing with surface stress. We don’t like it, but we deal with it. Surface stress is characterized by overly busy schedules, too many obligations, worries about finances, neglecting our health, job worries, family concerns, etc.—the day-to-day stuff. That’s tangible stress. The stress that’s below the surface is the greater danger. It’s hidden. You don’t know it’s there because you can’t see it. It’s almost like stress that you can’t put into words. It’s just there--in the pit of your stomach. It’s stress caused by unmanaged emotions, fear of the unknown, loss of control, hurtful words or actions that we don’t know how to deal with, it’s lack of clarity, lack of direction, fear of failure, fear of a medical diagnosis, and fear from a heart that’s been hurt because you wonder if you’ll ever love—or be loved again. It’s the stress caused by the fear of being alone, or the fear of moving forward or staying stuck where you are.

Below-the-surface stress runs deep and has the potential for a great amount of damage. Because it’s BIG. And it’s SILENT.

But what I’m here to tell you is you don’t have to live with life-damaging tangible stress or the suffocating, silent stress.

The first step is to recognize it. Know where it hides. Once you recognize it, it can’t hide. Then you can start dealing with it.

Since leaving my day job and blocking drama from my life, I’ve been happier and less-stressed than I ever have in the past few years. I didn’t realize how much silent stress I’d been living with. (You don’t realize it because you’re too caught up in it.) The key to getting through any kind of stress is having a strong foundation. A strong central core. (Like fitness professionals tell you to develop your physical core, the same is true here.) The reason some people are able to bounce back so quickly from difficult life changes is because they’ve developed a strong inner core and have a prescription to put in place whenever life hits hard. (No, I’m not talking about popping pills.) I’m talking about knowing which actions to take that will support them through change and challenge. It’s knowing how to step away from the emotion and look at a problem from a distance and then develop an appropriate strategy.

Life gets smoother when you can live with less stress. Can you remember what that feels like?

The reason I’m writing is because I want you to know it’s possible to change the course of your life—no matter where you are on your journey, no matter what your story is. You CAN minimize the stress and overwhelm. The first step is to recognize the icebergs in your path and what’s hidden beneath the surface.

For more info or to explore what's happening below YOUR surface, visit my website:www.kathydavenportimagedesign.com