Welcome to Week Two!  

The ONLY way to beat stress is by completing the Stress Cycle. That’s a pretty bold statement to make but it’s true. Let’s look at the issue a little closer without getting bogged down in the brain/physical science.

Your mind-body connection is an amazing machine! Without even conscious thought your brain causes all kinds of reactions and emotions and movement on its own. The same process happens when we encounter stresses — whether real or imagined.  Our mind puts a process or reaction into action many times without our consciousness being involved.

When these stress reactions (cycles) do not have a completion point, they begin to pile up and are stored in our physical body. The accumulation of uncompleted stress cycles can begin to deteriorate our mental and physical health. There is hope! It doesn’t cost anything to complete stress cycles except for a little personal determination.

WEEK 2 CHALLENGE:

Pick one or two options to start completing your stress cycles this week. 

Remember, 20-60 minutes of physical activity daily is the number one way to complete stress cycles and burn off the physical chemicals in the brain which are produced and stored under stress. The good news is it does not require special equipment or hours of your day.

IF exercise seems like too much, or you wanna mix it up, pick a different activity to try:

• Dance party – rock out and have fun!
• Breathwork – inhale for 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds, exhale 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds, repeat as needed
• Laughter – listen to your favorite comedian
• Positive social interactions – be intentional, schedule it on your calendar
• Big ‘ol cry – let it out!
• Creative expression – start creating again

Comment below, what option(s) you are trying out this week?! And once you give it a go, let me know how you felt after you completed the activity.

Remember… You are worth building a life you don’t have to regularly escape from!