Written by: Tara Best, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
On Wednesday the 4th of November 2021 it will be Stress Awareness Day, an annual reminder of the ways that stress can affect us and an opportunity to share information on how to manage stress. Stress management is a subject that I’m incredibly passionate about. It is something which impacts nearly three-quarters of us – research by the Mental Health Foundation found that, at some point in the last year, 74% of us have felt so stressed that we have felt unable to cope.
Stress as a choice
Do you choose stress? You probably don’t consciously decide to feel stressed. But so often, when speaking to women about stress, it becomes apparent that they aren’t consciously deciding to limit or reduce stress in their lives either.
When you’re having a stressful time, your mind can be your own worst enemy. You wake up each morning, your thoughts kick in, your conscious mind reminds you of the stresses you currently face in your life, and that sets the tone for the day. Not only that, but your mind will keep reminding you of the stresses in your life. This will then activate the Law of Attraction, bringing more things into your life for you to be stressed about or triggered by.
Every single second, 14 million pieces of information filter into your subconscious mind. That’s obviously far too much for your conscious mind to deal with, so your internal filtering system filters all that information for you and gives you just 7 pieces. It will always filter based on your thoughts and how you’re feeling. So, when you’re stressed, the filtering system is going to give you more pieces of information in line with the stress you’re feeling, it’ll give you more things that stress you out.
It’s also true that like attracts like. When you’re in a stressful situation and you’re struggling to take control of your thoughts, you will likely manifest other stressful things into your existence. So, what can you do to banish thoughts of stress and develop a positive mindset?
It all starts with being in control of your mind. Recognising when your mind gives you negative, stress-based thoughts, removing them, and replacing them with positive thoughts. When you wake in the morning, connect to your gratitudes. Make a conscious effort to think of everything you have to be grateful for, so you activate the positive filter rather than the negative one from the moment you awake.
Gratitude can also boost your immune system
What many people don’t realise is the potential benefit of mindset work on managing your stress levels. We’re already spoken about how being in control of your mind can help you start your day strong, but what about your immune system?
When you’re stressed, your body lives in a survival state. Many of your organs struggle to function as best they normally do when you’re stressed, and you will be much more easily run down.
A study by Dr. Joe Dispenza found that getting yourself into a positive state of joy, gratitude, love of contentment for 10 minutes, 3 times a day will increase the production of immunoglobulin A (IgA), a protein marker for the strength of the immune system by a staggering 49.5%.
Dr. Dispenza states “IgA is an incredibly powerful chemical, one of the primary proteins responsible for healthy immune function and the internal defence system. It’s constantly fighting a barrage of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other organisms that invade or are already living within the body. When it’s activated, it's the primary internal defence system in the human body. When stress levels (and therefore the levels of stress hormones like cortisol) go up, production levels of IgA are lowered.”
Can mindset work help you avoid stress?
Working on your mindset has an unlimited number of benefits. It’s also such a powerful way to help you minimise other stresses impacting you. Having a strong mindset isn’t just thinking positively. It’s about having the inner strength, resilience and focus required to handle whatever the day throws at you.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know of my love for a morning routine. It literally has changed and transformed my life and I’m so grateful to how it has helped me manage many potentially stressful situations. It’s about building up your internal strength, always focusing on what you want and not what you don’t, and ensuring you’re constantly improving yourself knowing that the results in your business will then follow.
If you’d love to start working on your mindset alongside growing your business and keeping those stress levels low, then I’d love to chat with you! Simply fill in this form and let’s have a complimentary chat to see how I can best support you.
For more mindset and productivity tips and some brilliant marketing inspiration, make sure you listen to my podcast Tara Talks, follow me on Facebook, Instagram and check out my website.
Tara Best, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Tara Best of Tara Punter Coaching and Tara Punter PR is incredibly passionate about all things mindset and marketing and helping business owners thrive while taking control of those limiting beliefs likely to hold them back in business. As a certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Coach, NLP Practitioner, Practitioner of Time Line Therapy, and Hypnotherapist, she has the tools required to help clients rewire their subconscious mind, to help them create unlimited success. She combines this with her marketing and public relations expertise to truly help her audience thrive. Best is also the voice behind the popular podcast Tara Talks and soon to be a published author.
