It seems like everyone is ready for some stress relief!

I did a Google search today & discovered that there are over 6 million global searches a month for the word “stress.”

I read about good stress, bad stress, chronic stress, work stress, relationship stress, physical stress, stress management, emotional stress, stress relief, acute stress, hyperstress, hypostress, eustress, distress, teenage stress, climate stress, environmental stress, and even entrepreneur stress. Whew! I’m getting stressed out just writing about stress.

Some Stress Relief Tips Make Me Go, “Huh”?

If you do a search on “stress relief,” you’ll find some sites that offer helpful tips & ideas. And then there are others that make me go, “huh”?

1. Don’t procrastinate. Procrastinators (sometimes me) feel bad enough about putting things off; let’s don’t make them feel worse by telling them to just stop.
2. Listen to music. What kind of music? If I listen to punk rock, some rap, or golden oldies, my stress level is guaranteed to sky rocket.
3. Laugh. I like this one personally, but telling someone to laugh when they’re feeling stressed out can get you a punch in the face.
4. Play games. Playing games does not provide stress relief for those of us with a competitive, perfectionist personality. Put me in front of a Monopoly board or Mexican Dominoes, and as long as I’m winning, I’m good. But if I’m losing – look out.
5. Take drugs. Several of the websites I looked at that were health-care related had advertisements for anti-depressants along with their sage advice for stress relief. It’s not that drugs don’t have their place, but I think it’s important that drugs are a last resort.
6. Eat healthy. Eating healthy is a great idea. And please understand that very, very occasionally a Krispy Kreme doughnut puts me in a zen-like trance of sheer bliss

Most of the suggestions I read about are simply temporary fixes; they don’t get at the source of what’s driving the stress symptoms. In my personal life and coaching practice, I’ve found that when you get to the truth of the stress, you can transform it into opportunities for growth & healing. That’s how you’re going to create sustainable stress relief.

Stress relief is about knowing who you really are!

Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. ~Chinese proverb

Stress Relief Begins with Your Imagination

Who do you imagine yourself to be … a stressed out, overwhelmed, ugly, stupid, unloved, fat, underappreciated, angry, resentful person? Or do you imagine yourself to be a happy, brilliant, loved, appreciated, valuable, generous person leading your work & life like an entrepreneur leads his/her business?

Your imagination is likely what’s creating or alleviating the stress in your life. Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” When you use your imagination to get back to the real you – BAM! – stress relief!

Use this Stress Relief Tool to Help You Create Sustainable Strategies

One of the best tools I’ve found to expand your imagination is the True Self center of the IAMX Compass. My business partner, Karen Tax, created it when she was looking for some stress relief in her life. She started using it with her clients & discovered people were getting excellent results. Karen wants everyone to have access to their True Self, so she offers it for free. Using the True Self Process will help you easily shift out of Drama (not you) back into your Best Self.

Here’s a real life example of how a client (Sara-not her real name) used the True Self Process in a teleconference with her colleagues from 4 different countries:

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  Before Sara gets on the call, she pauses to ask herself how she wants to show up – at her Best Self. The words she chooses are: prepared, clear, relaxed, intelligent & productive.
• She imagines what she wants for the project: high-quality work, teamwork, accountability & participation.
• Sara gets on the call and quickly discovers that she’s the only one who’s prepared; one team member isn’t participating; and people are getting too far into the details.
• Stress symptoms appear: irritation, holding her breath, heart pounding, anger.
• Sara acknowledges her stress symptoms. She recognizes she’s in Drama. It doesn’t feel good – she wants stress relief. She wants to get back to her Best Self … but how?
• Sara remembers what she said about how she wants to show up & what she wants for the project. She takes a deep breath, relaxes, and imagines being at her best.
• Sara asks herself what the stress is telling her about what she really, really wants. She lets herself experience the feeling of being at her best and imagines what she wants playing out.
• She begins to ask questions from her Best Self, not her Drama. She stays curious & playful – inviting everyone to meet her at their best. [no blame, no criticism]
• Sara decides that this is the right time and context, with the right participants, to directly and clearly share what she wants. She invites her team to discuss and ask questions.
• The team decides they are able to accomplish some of the work, but not all of it. They finish the meeting early & schedule a follow up call after people have pulled together their research.
• Sara gets exactly what she imagined for the project and for herself.

Sustainable stress relief does not come from simply listening to music, eating healthy, or playing Reindeer games.

Sustainable stress relief happens when you make peace with the drama in your life and relax into your essential best self. The results are unlimited: high-performing teams, high self-confidence, greater self-awareness, healthy relationships, healthy bodies, and so much more.

How would stress relief make a difference in your life?

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