Your Stressometer!

What on earth is this chick talking about?

Picture a thermometer, but inside of you, somewhere perhaps near your heart, to monitor your pulse. It's a long clear tube, with a little bulb bit down the bottom, and it is full of a red liquid mixture inside. Down the side there are numbers, and little dashes that represent your stress levels. Written down at the base of the thermometer is completely chilled banana peeled. A centameter up is the saying staying cool, you silly fool. Three quarters down the tube is feeling deterred and a little stirred, half way down the length is gotta breath, I'm feeling flushed, a little up is my hearts pumping, my heads thumping. Half way to the top and your minds racing, you need to start pacing, a quarter to the top you're feeling faint and palms are sweating, taking on too much is what you're regretting. At the very top you've lost control, and you've dug yourself into a stressed out hole.

If you picture this, where would your red dye sit?

Chilled as a cucumber, or ripping your hair out, flustered mustard?

When was the last time that you stopped and checked your thermometer?

Are you more 'stressed out' then you're allowing yourself to accept? Are you sleeping? Are you eating well or munging out on nasty food to make yourself feel better? Are you in control of your life, thoughts, feelings and actions or are you frazzled and out of control?

When was the last time that you stopped and breathed? Or just sat and did nothing unashamedly or not feeling guilty?

Are you under the pump at work? Are you taking lunch breaks? Are you leaving your office? Do you get home on time?

How's things with your partner? Are you both happy? When was the last outing that you had together to spend quality time with each other?

Are you carrying around negative thoughts, feelings and emotions?

Are you loving life and sitting on the chilled banana peeled end of life? What do you do to stay this way?

I love being mindful of my stressometer. It is the one thing that I have control over. Yes, me. I am the only way who can feel my stressometer. I am the only one who can truly see its affects on my emotions, behaviour and thoughts. I know when I'm taking on too much. I know when I need to get something off of my chest that has been bothering me and is festering inside. I know when I'm eating too much crap and feeling down in the dumps because of it. I have a voice connected to the stressometer that allows me to speak up and say hey ' I'm not coping' or 'I need extra help' or 'I need a day off to regroup.'

It is up to me to monitor my stressometer.

It is up to me to ensure that I stay in the chilled banana peeled section, and if I feel my stressometer rising above the I'm feeling deterred and a little stirred, then I must make changes in my life.

For it's not worth anything, and I mean anything, to find yourself suffering from anxiety, because you're stress levels are out of control.

It's not worth feeling your heart racing, palms sweaty, vision blurry, feeling faint, isolating yourself, and geninuely feeling like poo, just because you've forgotten to monitor your stressometer.

Everything uses your energy, even the things you enjoy doing, so it's important to make sure that you keep the things on your plate that make you happy, and help you to destress, instead of filling your plate with eyes bigger then your belly!

What's your stressometer looking like?

Look after yourself and those around you,

Kirsty xxx