“Dealing with your STRESS is a separate process from dealing with the things that cause your stress. To deal with your STRESS, you have to COMPLETE THE CYCLE.”

Emily Nagoski, PhD/Amelia Nagoski, DMA

Burnout: The Secret To Unlocking The Stress Cycle

What we refer to as “Stress” can be broken down into three parts:

1. STRESSORS: the triggers that activate the stress response in your body. Triggers can be both external and internal. These stressors cause a stress response in our body. 

When we get triggered by a stressor, our 

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

tries to

CONTROL it

by going into

a STRESS RESPONSE:

• FIGHT

The REAL problem

is NOT the

STRESSOR

or even the

STRESS RESPONSE

(unless you hurt yourself or others).

The REAL problem

is that we

stay stuck

IN stress

rather than

COMPLETING

the STRESS CYCLE. 

When you notice having TOO MUCH energy in your body, you’re HYPER-aroused.

When you feel this way, rate the number of your stress/activation on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 = non-existent and 10 being unbearable.

Ask yourself: What do I need to do in order to calm my body down and reduce the amount of energy?

Here are some coping strategies to try:

• Exercise

• Breathing

• shaking/bouncing

• Tapping

• tense/release your muscles

• Go outside

• Write down thoughts on paper

• Yell in a pillow

• Punch a pillow

• Lift weights

• Dance

• Play a sport

• Ask for help

• draw/paint/create

• Cross-lateral stimulation

• Meditation

• Laughter

• Read

• Anything mindful that keeps you in the present moment

• Color

• Word search

• Body work like massage or acupuncture

• Yoga

• Silence

• Stillness

• solitude

• something else?

When you notice having TOO LITTLE energy in your body, you’re HYPO-aroused.

When you feel this way, rate your energy level on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 = no energy and 10 too much energy.

Ask yourself: What do I need to do in order to boost or increase my energy?

Here are some coping strategies to try:

• Focus on the five senses and how they impact your energy:

• What smells energize me?

• Experiment with essential oils… peppermint is great for this.

• candles/incense/soaps/perfumes/lotions

• What sounds/music energizes me?

• Create a playlist.

• Listen to a podcast.

• Listen to natural sounds on a app.

• What do I find energizing to look at?

• Is it something outside?

• Art?

• A vision board or Pinterest board?

• Scrapbooks/photos?

• What flavors/foods/textures energize me?

• Spicy?

• Chewy? Crunchy?

• Brush your teeth

• What can I touch?

• Certain fabrics?

• Massage

• hot/cold showers

• Breathwork

• Dancing

• Spending time with a pet

• Seeing friends

• Going for a drive

• Sitting outside

If you know that you need help identifying your stressors, managing stress responses, and/or closing your stress cycles, email me to schedule a complimentary happy hour call. 

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My new book Intentional Intoxication: How To Deliberately Distill The Different Life You Desire, is available on Amazon. You can imbibe on the entire book in one, short, intentionally happier hour:

Intentional Intoxication Book

If you’re interested to know about how I can support you in overcoming the habit of escaping or chasing, I invite you to reach out to me by using the email below and we find a time to chat:

[email protected]

For a quick shot of your life’s current level of intoxication, I invite you to complete the 10 Questions on my Intoxication Inventory:

Intoxication Inventory