By Richmond Natural Medicine

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November 30, 2017

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We can control how we respond to stress, but first, we need to notice how we react.

As we enter into December, it’s almost palpable how much stress people are carrying around with them. I can sense it in the way folks whizz through the grocery store isles, aggressively vie for parking spots, fidget in the lines of the post office, and that’s not to mention how they’re feeling in their own home. Planning for house guests or holiday traveling or trying to get their act together for their hosted meals…there’s a lot going on this time of year. But, to be clear, the holidays are not stressful. We make them stressful, and usually, we’re not even aware that we’re doing it.

One of the practices I encourage my patients to do is a “needless vs. essential stress” exercise to help them pare down the amount of stress they feel like they’re carrying. It’s simple, effective and eye-opening, and something I think everyone can benefit from (especially this time of year).

Step 1:

Make a list of every single thing that stresses you. Nothing is too big or small to be included on this list. Write it all down. This can be anything, anyone or any place that causes that little flutter in your heart or tightness in your chest or tinge of headache.

Step 2:

On a separate sheet of paper, make 2 columns titled “Needless” and “Essential”

Step 3:

Divide your long list of stressors into either one of these columns.

“Needless” stressors are anything that you can easily live without and immediately choose to get rid of. These are things like getting angry about traffic, making up stories or conversations in your head about things that haven’t actually (and probably never will) happen, choosing to get stressed about an untidy house, or (intentionally) making your daily to-do list unmanageably long.

“Essential” stressors are things that you can’t easily get rid of and are essential for daily living. These are things like paying your mortgage, feeding yourself and your family, taking care of your children, managing your finances and taking care of your car. These are the big-ticket things, the things that keep your life going that have likely become routine.

After creating your lists, you’ll probably notice that the needless stress list if a lot longer than your essential stress list and this is because we’re often addicted to stress. Stress becomes our default response to things that don’t always go our way or things we do not have control over. But choosing to get stressed over these things is our choice, not our obligation.

Step 4:

Choose one thing from your needless stress list and for 1 week actively work on letting this stressor go. Notice whenever this is popping up for you, and immediately choose not to get upset or stressed by this non-essential thing in your life. Every week, choose one more needless stress until that list becomes obsolete.

You will eventually be left with a significantly lighter stress load once you can actively differentiate between what’s essential and what’s not. You’ll also start to notice how your body responds to stress, those first little symptoms that can pile up into a bigger, more overwhelming, stressful feeling. We can control how we respond to stress, but first, we need to notice how we react to stress.

If you’re still struggling with stress in your life and need additional support, consider making an appointment with one of our naturopathic doctors or scheduling a nutrition appointment to help with meal planning. There are many ways we can combat stress in our lives, and each person takes an individual approach.