Stress

• Do you feel tired most of the time? Or do you feel "frazzled" most of the time?
  
• Are you more forgetful than usual? More irritable than you would like to be?
  
• Are you having stomach problems or headaches? Does your back and/or shoulders feel tense?
• Do you have trouble falling asleep; or waking up during the night? Are you having very bizarre dreams?
  

When talking about stress, it is important to understand that there are 2 main forms of stress: Positive stress, like a healthy relationship, and negative stress, like being stuck in traffic. All too often, people don't realize that positive stress is still stress, and calls for self care to avoid burnout; most of us, however, do understand the need for self care in response to negative stress. This is not to say that positive stress should be avoided or minimized in one's life. . .rather, it is simply to say that we have to cultivate self care for both. If not, we run the risk of turning the positive stress of a healthy relationship into negative stress as we begin to take our burnout on our loved ones. It is not difficult to see the not-so-healthy pattern that can emerge from this. . . and the pattern only creates more stress. Left to its own devices, unmanaged stress can lead to experiences of fear or anxiety (often fear/anxiety about getting more stressed, or about one's ability to effectively manage stress - especially the further out of control it spins). Continue reading this article to learn more about effectively managing stress

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