If your car is pointing upward you are overloaded

So riddle me this...What is something that in addition to being itself, can also be the cause of itself, and the result of itself?  Did you guess the answer?  Or do silly riddles just add to your STRESS? (hint, hint)

Stress, we all know it's bad for both our physical and psychological health not to mention our relationships but what causes this response and why do particular situations escalate our feelings?  Last week I was challenged to try and identify my stress triggers and more importantly to begin looking and reacting to them in a healthier way.  (See my blog post on Emotional Intelligence and the Yellow Brick Road).  So how did I fare? 

I went into last week with eyes wide open, knowing that the change was not going to happen overnight.  I tried to pay specific attention to my emotions: did I start my day with a good pep talk; what was my self confidence level; what else did I have on my mind during a given situation, as well as my physical state:  did I feel well; had I had enough sleep; enough exercise; had I eaten healthy or grabbed junk food or skipped lunch all together and was just hangry?   I had already had the realization that my stress levels were coming from two areas the first of which I had no power or control to change and the latter being of situations that I build up emotionally in my mind of being more critical than they are in actuality. 

When it comes down to it under rational circumstances I know that any given situation is really just an opportunity.  Last week was like most and there were a few opportunities that arose.  I would love to say that it was all smooth sailing but I did have a few moments I found myself drifting into the “red zone”, but more importantly I knew I was there and I did my best to stop myself and back up.  I pictured those red and green bottles in my mind and concentrated on the green one.  I tried to be present in my reactions and if I did find myself responding to a situation through stress quickly asked for forgiveness from others and myself.

I know I’m a more likable person when I’m not under stress.  I have more confidence in both myself and others, and as hard as it is to look at I took a moment to map out an emotional gauge of  how others may perceive me when I’m under stress.  I want to be identified with more positive words like “diplomatic” and “knowledgeable” and leave behind the uglier words like “hard-to-please” and “defensive”. 

Mechanically we all know when we keep the needle pointing to the left of our gauges we get more longevity and endurance out of our equipment. If we overload its capacity or neglect the warning signals it can leave us stranded at any time.    Are we really much different than those machines?  Isn’t our ultimate goal to live a happy life at our fullest potential?  I know it takes energy, maintenance and a little TLC to keep me on the road to my best self, so I will continue to keep constantly monitoring my gauges, polishing the rough edges and driving myself to be CLASSIC.