Stress Isn’t a Thinking Problem

From what I have seen, when people think of stress, they think of mental health. When they think of "mental" health they assume "thinking".

They follow this line of logic:

Stress → mental health → thinking → “I should be able to fix this with my mind.”

Here are some strategies we typically use to try to fix stress with our mind:

Positive thinking
“I should just focus on the good.”

Talking yourself out of feelings
“This isn’t a big deal. Other people have it worse.”

Over-analyzing / over-understanding
“If I can just figure out why I feel this way, it’ll stop.”

Reframing in your head
“I know this is irrational, so I shouldn’t feel it.”

Self-coaching
“Calm down. Breathe. Get it together.”

Looping thoughts
“Why am I still like this?”, “What’s wrong with me?”

These strategies aren’t wrong or bad, they work to a certain degree. But they just don’t get to the root of the issue - they don’t actually change the underlying stress response.

Each of these strategies are actually an attempt to work around stress, not resolve the stress response itself.

So, they work for a short time…but the stress will just keep coming back.

Can we make the stress stop?

Yes!

See, stress doesn’t live in your mind, it lives in your body, your physiology. When you experience stress, it is actually because your body, your nervous system is feeling unsafe. It detects a threat of some sort - even a perceived threat, not “real”.

This threat detection is based on past experiences and pattern recognition. If anything in the present moment is detected to be similar to a past threat that is still “alive” or has “emotional juice”, the alarm is set off, and the whole system gets ready to fight or flee - the stress response.

This stress response happens in the body first, and then (usually, but not always) the mind becomes aware of it. In other words, the stress response happens subconsciously.

How can we make the stress stop?

We simply need to give the nervous system the message that the threat is actually over. We need to give it the message that the event is truly in the past.

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) allows us to do that!

Your nervous system doesn’t speak English, or French. It speaks in sensations, pressure, touch, movement.

When we tap on specific points on our body while focusing our attention on what stresses us, the body gets the message: It is safe. There is no threat. Stand down.

This way, the “emotional juice” is discharged, the threat is no longer “alive” and the body settles. The stress response is resolved.

This literally rewires the nervous system!

That stimulus - the tone of their voice, the smell, the look on someone’s face, that tightness in your chest - is now neutral and not flagged as a threat. So, the next time you encounter the stimulus, the alarm doesn’t ring and the body doesn’t get ready to fight or flee.

No stress to “fix”.

What if you didn’t have to keep managing and “fixing” stress?

What if your stress response could actually resolve, instead of it being something you have to stay on top of?

If this resonates with you, you’re welcome to book a free 30 minute discovery call.

It’s a no-pressure conversation to explore what’s going on in your system and what’s possible.

PS. EFT has been getting more and more attention. Hugh Jackman recently shared his experience with Tapping and why he endorses Nic Ortner’s “Rewired”. You can watch it here.