In honor of the Curiosity issue out on stands this month, let’s get curious about your resilience/stress-management toolbox. Curiosity can be a great attitude to use when reflecting on how you manage your stress/overwhelm in everyday life. Instead of getting stuck in shame, guilt or judgment (which is very easy and normal to do!), we can lean in with curiosity.
Use these reflection questions to get curious about your current patterns and stress management tools:
- When stress arises in everyday life, what tools do I reach for? What activities do I do?
- When I feel buried under stress/overwhelm, how do I typically respond or react?
- Who do I go to when I’m feeling stressed?
The activities you tend to do, or what you lean into, might be considered your current “resilience tools.”
But, not all tools are created equal. If you tend to use a tool that may provide temporary relief from stress but that also makes you feel worse after, such as drinking that extra glass of wine, binge-eating a bag of chips, venting and taking over a conversation with a friend and feeling worse after, you may want to explore other tools to add to your resilience toolbox.
We’re human. We all may have our vices/tools that are not super effective, and we may reach for them now and then. But I want more for you. I want you to have more tools to move through stress and find more joy.
Given that stress is inevitable, it is a great life journey to find resilience tools that help you manage stress/overwhelm and actually bring you more peace, calm and joy. You’ll likely lean into different tools at different times, seasons or phases of your life.
I used to love kickboxing. Kickboxing pre-baby was a great way for me to relieve my stress, along with going to a gym in general for the group camaraderie. But after having my son (who is now 4), it became harder to fit in the gym outside my home or make a class time work, and doing this was creating more stress. So I needed to shift and explore other resilience tools. Sometimes it’s a combination! Some of my favorite tools to use in this season are yoga, journaling and mindfulness moments in my daily and weekly routines.
Emotional resilience tools can leave us feeling more ready and able to navigate the curveballs life throws at us or the pressure and expectations that can come from leading an extraordinary, fast-paced life.
As a place to start with how you manage stress now: Know Your Stress Guide (1).pdf
Grab the Resilience tools guide here to start exploring what works for you: Bingo find my tools freebie.pdf
Video here: https://youtu.be/dElqaH9UZ-s
Join my Newsletter for more resilience tips: https://www.subscribepage.com/joinnewslettermariaserbus
Classes with Maria this Fall: www.mariaserbus.com/classes
Author bio
Maria Serbus is the CEO & resilience coach at Maria Serbus, LLC. She helps high-achieving women overcome stress & overwhelm through mind body tools so they can pursue an extraordinary life while being present to everyday moments that matter. www.mariaserbus.com | @maria.serbus
