Stress is Your Body's Way of Saying Slow Down - Are you listening?

* Irritability
* Tension headaches
* Heart palpitations
* Inability to focus on the task at hand
* Rise in blood pressure, which may cause sudden outbursts of anger
* Inability to sleep
* Sudden longing for food/cravings
* Lethargy
* Neck and shoulder pain, tightness in the jaw or face, shallow breathing
* Fright or flight syndrome
* Anxiety attacks
* Restlessness

These are just some of the symptoms related to stress.  Your body is screaming at you to slow down and pay attention to what is going on.  While there are some who say they thrive on stress, after all is said and done they are left totally exhausted.  The price paid is too high. Noone can go on very long on overdrive.

The body is a wonderful machine that instantly alerts you if there is a problem.  Ignoring it or attributing it to something else can be a mistake.  If you ever find yourself in a stressful situation, walk away.  Clear your mind.  Take a walk around the block or play some music at home or in your car.  Driving under stress has been the cause of many accidents due to road rage. Pray, meditate, exercise... do something to get in a better place and then try to tackle the problem. If it's something out of your control (like an angry, toxic person), you can still choose to respond differently next time or minimize contact.

We live in a stressful world.  However, it doesn’t mean we have to absorb the everyday stresses that are on the outer periphery of our minds into our experience. We can choose to rise above it, but first we have to pay attention!