ExclusiveCope with all three stages of stress to avoid paralyzing feelings of overwhelm

We all know the physical symptoms which accompany stress: racing heart, shortness of breath, tensing shoulders, knots in the stomach, dry mouth, etc. In addition, we may feel like our minds are racing while simultaneously fighting back tears. The physical and mental symptoms of stress are our bodies’ reactions to adrenaline, our fight-or-flight response, and cortisol, the stress hormone. These symptoms can be very helpful, even lifesaving, in emergency situations. However, this first stage of stress, the alarm stage, can’t be sustained for long periods of time. Eventually, it must yield to Stage 2, resistance, and eventually Stage 3, exhaustion.
What’s important is how you cope with each stage of stress, soothing the specific mental and physical symptoms so that you can thrive rather than just survive. One of the key ways to do so is to acknowledge what triggers stress in the first place. Different situations cause us to feel anxious, fearful, and overwhelmed. To avoid that uncomfortable feeling, we may rework our whole day and even our whole life. Rather than let overwhelm or the fear becoming overwhelmed rule us, we can follow a few easy steps to conquer this feeling before it conquers us.