April is Stress Awareness Month

Last weekend I taught a stress-intensive course; as students identified stressors and signs and symptoms of stress, I explored a holistic model of stress, one I developed by blending Western and Eastern approaches (evidence-based practices and energy healing systems), and reviewed numerous stress prevention, management, reduction, and recovery strategies. The students received information and skills and had opportunities to experience some of the interventions to the extent they were comfortable doing so.

Despite the knowledge of the model I created and the information I wanted to present, I found myself researching and doing more preparation for this class than I expected. In some respects, it was overwhelming to re-create this class I had instructed back in 2011 in a different department, and at the same time, it was surprisingly exciting. The overwhelm was not what I was used to with the “stress” and “anxiety” experience.

It puzzled me to a large extent and yet as I continued to refine the lecture material and presentation, handouts, and activities, I realized that the sensations I experienced, while similar in the experience to feeling overwhelmed, were more motivational and aligned with what I wanted to do. I was not experiencing the demands of completing this course material as a distressful event, rather it was an engaging and creative expression of what I’ve learned over the years and what I wanted to put out into the world.

This surprised me, as the blending of Western and Eastern approaches into one model is not often explored. And yet, there it was, the model I struggled with for several years, seamlessly came together as I immersed myself into the material, my scribbled notes, and dialogued through the content.

It reinforced how my perspective of things shifted, and that usually means life will be shifting as well.

In a completely different class I teach Tuesday evenings, a student asked how my weekend stress class went. I previously informed my students my availability would be limited over the weekend due to the stress class and to not expect a response to emails or calls until Monday. I was pleasantly surprised by the question yet promptly offered a recap of the weekend before some past thoughts censored me.

And with consistency, I went on a tangential topic and discovered an insight I had shared with the class. I don’t react to stress like I used to. I know when I am going through something seemingly big, there is something largely more abundant on the other side. While in the moment of the “stressful” experience, I may not feel like I can get out of it, handle it, or deal with it, I know that will pass and whatever is happening is part of the process of evolving into something different that is a better version of myself. My experience has illustrated this.

The reaction from the class was silence. I commented this was not something you can teach in a class; it’s something you learn. However, as a trained professional counselor and as someone with lived experience, it is something I do: I connect the dots through the process of the questions I ask, unconditional positive regard, empathy, patience, and witnessing, being present as someone is trying to make sense of their own experience. Being able to hold this space for someone is a privilege as I “get” the “muck” that exists on the road to clarity.

It was an experience that reminded me how far I have come in being aware of my stress and how the process over the years evolved into something far more than I imagined. And as far as stress awareness month, it was a great way to start it.