Remember that observing your stress response and not reacting to it, will help to not deplete your emotional resilience tank.
But we are human and sometimes we do react and then criticize ourselves for feeling irritable, frustrated, anxious or overwhelmed.
For example, we tell ourselves the lie that we should always feel good, and that stress is bad, and when we judge ourselves with negative self-talk, we add another layer of stress on top of it.
Instead of observing the stress response, understanding why we are feeling stressed and having some compassion for ourselves—we criticize and beat ourselves up—trying to feel better. This is not helpful.
While sometimes the negative self-talk can be very obvious, for some of us, it will be more subtle:
I’m so behind.
I’m never going to get this done.
I should be more organized.
I should be nicer to my family.
I should be more patient with them.
This might not sound as mean, but it will add another layer on top of the stress response you already have, and again, is not helpful.
Be on to yourself with understanding and compassion. It’s perfectly fine to feel stress. In fact, studies show that stress or discomfort can be our friend and impetus for growth.
Discomfort is the price of growth.
Or said another way, if you want to grow, learn to be more comfortable with discomfort.
If you need help giving yourself compassion and understanding, I can help get you started.