Are you feeling overwhelmed by stress and so exhausted that you barely have the energy or time to do the things you would actually enjoy?
You are not alone. In fact if you are spending your days in a toxic work or home environment you can look at any one of your co-workers or family members and know this to be true. There is actually over a million people on the internet looking for ways to cope.
When you feel tired it makes everything seem like more than you can handle. It’s when you are over stimulated that your brain just can’t think anymore, concentration seems impossible as you simply stare, and yet a part of you wants to Keep going until the issue is resolved.
A part of you wants more stimulation to find energy to keep going and get things accomplished like coffee, TV, internet games, while others look for something more sedating like alcohol in an attempt to find ease or as a “reward” for getting through the day. I wonder, do you actually feel any better after?
I wonder because more often than not. these activities and ways of coping leads to further numbing, exhaustion, anxiety, and creates more disconnect. A disconnect not from the problem, but from your true essence, from your loved ones, and from real solutions.
See, the opposite is found to be more effective. Instead of “checking out”, check-IN.
Turn away from all the external pulls and come back into your body. Check in with yourself about how you are feeling physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
In truth you have access to a never-ending flow of universal energy, yet if you block this flow, you will end up feeling closed off, ungrounded, anxious, and maybe even depressed. Depression in fact, is seen as a resistance to life on a spiritual level. It takes a lot of energy to go against the flow of life which creates that feeling of heaviness. Think of a dam blocking the flow of water and how the water builds up. Your problems and emotions can build up in the same way. A closed heart lowers your vibration and blocks the balance of giving and receiving and so it can feel very dark as no light is able to get in or out.
With emotion, you can see how the energy must be kept in motion and it’s important to keep that energy moving through you and not to suppress it where it can build up inside of you creating further blocks. When you keep pushing thoughts away, they become more persistent and fill up your head. Being so into your thoughts keep you from being fully present in the here and now, which is your greatest source of power.
The good news is that there is a way out of this quagmire! Here is a model I’ve been working on as a spiritual wellness tool to strengthen your Being and help you feel more centered and empowered to better respond to what is happening in your life. It will help you cope with stress beyond the ability to simply manage, into a way of soaring above any self-imposed limitations and cultivates a new way of being with the world. C.O.P.E. is an apt name for it and goes like this:
C- Conscious Connection. Align with your higher self/higher power through meditation and prayer, or by way of oracle cards or some other divination tool. Connect with your creative source. Draw, colour, build, write, or paint as this will shift your consciousness and help you access different parts of your brain that will also more easily find you the solutions and answers you were looking for.
Clear negative energy. You can smudge to purify yourself and your space or declutter to create space and clear your mind. Clear out what no longer serves you from all areas of your life and set new boundaries of what you invite or allow into your life to protect your energy.
O- Origin- tap into your innate wisdom as you ask yourself, “What is really going on here”? There is always a deeper truth hidden in every situation, uncover it.
Own it-Get yourself back in the driver’s seat and redirect your energy back onto the right path. Reclaim your ability to transform stress and powerless into ease and empowerment as you become the person who can handle it.
“Only temporary”- accept this is just what is happening in your life right now. The more you can lean into it and be present with it, the easier it will be to move through it.
Outdoors- take a breath of fresh air! Go for a walk, get into nature, open some windows.
P- Practice Patience- stop struggling or trying to force solutions. Ego will want to control every thing which constricts your progress and restricts you leaving you feeling tense, rigid, and tight especially on the physical level. Instead, allow things to unfold naturally leaving room for peace and grace to enter. This allowing helps you cultivate trust.
Pause-breathe into the space between tasks and create space between a demand and a response. In a world of instant gratification and communication brought in by technology, there has been a growing sense of urgency and hypervigilence, don’t get sucked in!
Ponder Possibilities- Play detective and just notice what is going on as if viewing it from the outside. Ask yourself, “What else is possible” as it will access higher consciousness.
E- Express gratitude. List what you are grateful for, send out thank you cards, or tell someone how much you appreciate them (include yourself!). This raises your vibration and becomes a magnet for more in your life that you can be grateful for.
Exit situation- when appropriate, this strategy works to remove yourself from what no longer serves you or brings you joy.
Enlist your support network- Connect with positive resources such as a mentor, counselor, coach, holistic practitioner who can guide you, offer new ways of looking at things, and help rebalance your energy.
Evolve- allow these situations to help you grow and cultivate spiritual maturity. Your Soul will thank you for it.
I’ve listed a few strategies under each letter so you have a different options to try what works best for you in varied situations. I find a tried and true COPE model that works for most situations is: Conscious Connectiion, Only Temporary, Pause, Practice Patience, and Express Gratitude. This shift in thinking as a response to a challenge seems to work every time.
© Copyright MMXVI Jennifer Regular
Jennifer Regular of Enlightened Wellness is a respected Master Integrated Energy Therapist, Motivational Counselor, Reiki Drum Healer, Shamanic Practitioner, and an inspiring seminar leader. She is also member of CAIET- Canadian Association for Integrative and Energy Therapies and the Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce and Tourism.