Are you feeling pressure? Are you feeling stress? 

Well, let's dig a little deeper and try to understand what's going on. 

There's bad stress (called distress) that can negatively effect you and cause diseases, and there's good stress (eustress) which can positively energize and motivate you. 

Whenever you're feeling stress or pressure:

• Remember that you're human: grant yourself some grace and recognize that you're not going to be perfect. Sometimes, as hard as this may sound, you could be causing the stress or pressure yourself. You're in control, so give yourself a break. It can be very difficult to manage stress, but we do have tools such as: meditation, exercise, sleep, prayer, family and friends, and personal development.Try relaxing the timeline on your expectations of yourself as well, sometimes we have unrealistic expectations. Take a step back, re-evaluate, and set attainable goals that still stretch you so you grow. 
• Identify when you are ready to go or perform or preparing to do something big, so your body is ramping you up. Versus is the pressure that you're feeling insecurity or inadequacy. Maybe you're feeling imposter syndrome. But is this accurate or just a story you're telling yourself? Be aware of what you're feeling, ask why you're feeling it, and how it can serve you in a positive way. 

• MEDS RX: (Meditation, Exercise, Diet, Sleep, Relationships, Supplements). Go back to the fundamentals to ensure that your self care routine is on point. Listen to your body and ensure that you're giving it what it needs to function at its optimal level. 

• What's your schedule or calendar look like? Are you incorporating buffer time? Or are you jumping from meeting to meeting without a break? Are you saying yes to too may tasks or other people's requests? Setup a rhythm that moves you forward and sets you up for success each week. When you are able to operate on a rhythm, your brain doesn't have to spend extra energy trying to figure out what to do next, which leaves you with more energy to do important things, and/or not as exhausted at the end of the day/week. 

• Talk to someone: share with supportive people in your life, whether it's a family member, significant other, therapist, coach, friend, colleague, or anyone you can be open and honest to about your stress. Someone who can help you vent, process it, understand it, and get you to a better place to move forward. 

You're never going to eliminate pressure or stress. But you can learn to be aware of it, learn how it can serve you in a positive way, and manage it so it doesn't negatively effect you. 

Hope that left you satisfied and smiling [that's what she said],

~Sara