Navigating a Common High-Stress Situation.
Hi There,
I’ve been steeped in anticipatory stress for the past few months, and I’m pleased to announce that I’ve just passed a self-imposed stress test. Full disclosure, this test wasn’t heart associated, and it didn’t involve a treadmill. This is a story of practicing self-regulation during my big move out of NYC!
You see, Manhattan had been the epicenter of DRIVEN’s business since our inception in 2013. And I’ve personally resided in different Big Apple ‘hoods for the past quarter-century. Pandemic times have necessitated a reimagining of our workshops, facilitations and coaching offerings, and we now have an exclusively online presence. Wow! What a welcomed change of cadence.
Last Thursday was moving day, the bumps and angst of which would have spun me out in years past. But this move reminded me more of Mark Twain’s sentiment about having “known a great many troubles, most of which never happened”. The day was intentionally different. I did all that my workshops suggest; plus, my personal energy and presence were aligned. Leading up to the big move, I’d eaten and hydrated well, made meditation a daily essential, and cleared my calendar.
On the morning of the move, as I savored my last cityscape sunrise, I primed myself to recognize and name the stresses that would quietly try to seep into my being. I imagined “capturing” the stress, then intentionally BREATHING to gain both space and perspective. The official formula: Recognize, Pause and Zoom Out.
Then the game began. At 7am the foreman arrived (unexpectedly an hour early) and shared with me the very high likelihood of the moving truck receiving a $125 parking summons on 2nd Avenue, which the boss would pass to me. I took a long slow breath and gained perspective as I realized that, in the long run, it was a small price to pay for this life-changing event. But when I was informed at 9am that he’d already received TWO tickets, I took a longer breath and looked forward to telling a future joke about this uncontrollable situation.
At one point, I escaped to the tiny bathroom in my apartment—the only refuge during the move-out—for 3 minutes of breathing. Mission accomplished! I was centered once again.
Breathing became the theme of the day, centering me each time I encountered an unforeseen obstacle, including the busy freight elevator slowing down the move substantially, and a bridge closure in the suburbs, doubling the length of our trip to the self-storage center.
Today, I’m feeling doubly blessed: the move is complete, and those client workshops and coachings devoted to better recognizing and managing stress have rubbed off on me. I’ve never felt lighter on my feet!
How will YOU employ breathing to chase away the stressors in your life?
Cheers!
-Deborah
Deborah Goldstein
DRIVEN Professionals / Forbes / Linkedin
info@drivenpros.com | LinkedIn
DRIVEN Professionals, 35 Adrienne Lane, Garrison, NY 10524