How Are You Managing Stress?

Everyone needs a break. And it’s okay to need—and want—one.

The word stress often comes with negative connotations. We tend to think of it as something bad, but stress is actually a tool we can use. It can give us the adrenaline we need to get through a challenging situation, and it can even increase or decrease our pain depending on the circumstances.

We can also adapt to our level of stress and get used to it. That’s a powerful coping mechanism. However, when the stressor is gone, it’s important to check in with ourselves and make sure we’re not still operating under chronic stress when it’s no longer necessary.

Recently, I was dealing with a benign tumor in my eye. The tumor itself isn’t the issue, but it’s vascular, and if it leaks, it can detach my retina. Unlike most retinal tears, this isn’t an emergency, so I have some flexibility before treatment—which involves PDT (photodynamic therapy) and a couple of injections to essentially cauterize the tumor and stop the leak.

Earlier this year, my retina was detached for about three months. It caused a dark curtain effect, poor vision, and visual disturbances like flashers. I had one flasher in my central vision that alternated between a circular strobe light and something that felt like a frantic butterfly fluttering. It was constant—white when my eyes were open, green when they were closed.

When it first started, I could feel how on edge it made me. But about a week and a half in, I would have told you I’d mostly gotten used to it. I didn’t like it, but it didn’t feel as disruptive. My brain adapted—which is a great way to handle what life throws at us.

But after treatment, when the strobe light stopped almost instantly, I felt a profound sense of relief. Suddenly, I could fully unwind.

I hadn’t realized how much tension I was still carrying—tension I had simply adapted to. Again, that adaptation is a helpful coping mechanism, but it’s not an ideal way to live.

Taking a moment to check in with ourselves and ask whether we’re feeling stressed can be incredibly valuable.

From there, we can take some of the standard steps to cope: breathing, meditation, and movement. Alternatively, we can spend time with a good friend, watch a comedy, get a massage, or take a bath with a good book (no cell phones allowed).

Everyone needs a break. And it’s okay to need—and want—one.

Need some tools to help you relieve stress? We have a workshop for that. Click here to find our Workshop - Keep Calm Handling: Life's Stressful Situations, along with all our On-Demand Classes.