Stress is a part of life, but it can be overwhelming if we feel like we are regularly overwhelmed or in denial of our situation. How do we rise above the clouds when our minds become cloudy themselves due to stressful situations?
Stress has a way of putting us in "tunnel vision". The easiest answer to the question of how to rise above the cloudiness is to "snap out of it". The longer answer is to embrace mindfulness and to ensure we have healthy ways to overcome our stress itself.
The cloudiness and tunnel vision we experience where we are stressed is an result of denial and being overwhelmed. Mindfulness is key to removing this cloudy feeling when a situation evokes stress and stifling fear. We need to evaluate each situation and moment and focus on the details to avoid being clouded by the size of the problem. Stress crops up when we see a problem and do not see the steps we need to take to overcome it.
As a worker, parent, community member and human we need to realize when we are being overcome by the magnitude of a problem, and break it down. What can we do in the moment to begin our travel out of the clouds? What is the next step to fixing our problem, and what is the worst that could happen? Act, then make sure you begin your ascent out of the clouds.
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