The Underlying Stress Of Life

The Conscious Consultant Hour

This week, on The Conscious Consultant Hour, it’s just Sam and you for the show!

This week, Sam will be shining the light on the underlying stress we all feel these days. He will talk about how to recognize that you’re stressed, even if you don’t think you feel stressed, and what we can all do to cope with it, manage it, and feel some relief.

This is a timely show that is not to be missed! Join the conversation, ask your own questions, and relate your own stories of stress by sharing on our Facebook page!

Tune in for this enlightening conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.

Segment 1

Sam is hosting solo this week. Sam announces that previous episodes of The Conscious Consultant Hour are now available on ConsciousGood.tv. Sam reads a section from his book, Everyday Awakening called “How to Get to Where You’re Going.” This section focuses on the benefits of “slowing down in order to speed up.” People can be more productive and creative, and less prone to mistakes, when they take more time for themselves. For example, by driving on a country road instead of rushing down the highway, you have a greater chance of missing an accident. Abby from Facebook Live recounts that just last night, a waitress served her pepperjack cheese even though she made clear to the waitress that she’s allergic to peppers. More information about Everyday Awakening can be found at EverydayAwakeningBook.com and TheConsciousConsultant.com/Everyday-Awakening. When you purchase the book through the website, you receive access to many links including extra reading, meditation, discounts and more. For further reading, Sam recommends the book The Diamond Cutter. Sam announces the topic of today’s show is The Underlying Stress of Life - how it appears in our lives and what we can do to alleviate it.

Segment 2

The Underlying Stress of Life is something Sam has become more keenly aware of recently. Why is there this constant, pervasive stress in the background? And why is everyone feeling this? The main reason these days of course is the pandemic. The things that made us connected, such as travel, were taken away from us. We’re much more aware of the world in general than we were long ago. We learn new things about the pandemic every day and have been constantly fearing for our safety. Collectively we have not had an unconscious, life-or-death fear like this since the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic. It impacts us all collectively, which is why it’s a pandemic and not an epidemic. This unconscious fear of “what happens if I get sick?” impacts us in many ways. People are more easily irritated, more likely to get angry, more likely to fight with somebody. Our emotions have harder edges these days. We’re also more tired than we used to be - everything takes more effort, more energy, more stamina. We’re not able to be as present as we used to. What can we do about all of this? How can we be more aware of this underlying stress so that we can show up for ourselves and be more present?

Segment 3

Sam comes back to discuss the ways that work now stresses us out in ways that weren’t present pre-pandemic. Sam’s wife, who is a therapist, never seemed to get too stressed out from work when she was seeing patients in person, however since working remotely she finds herself much more tired and stressed at the end of a day of Zoom calls. It takes a lot more energy to do all of your work from screens than doing things in person. She decided to take the entire summer off - previously she had never taken off more than two weeks - which drove home for Sam how many other people must be feeling this level of underlying stress. Sam says he himself was much more exhausted than normal after a few weeks of commitments during the summer, and that it took two weeks of slowing things down and prioritizing self care to feel better. So, what can we do about it? Sam says that we must recognize and accept that things these days require more energy, and must be able to ration said energy. Step 1: Slow down. How do we do this? Before starting any task (starting a work meeting, phoning a friend, etc), take a breath. Close your eyes, take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. This is a basic yet effective way to bring ourselves into the present. Think to yourself: what is my intention in performing this task? What do I want to achieve? Sam encourages listeners to try the breathing exercise and see how it makes them feel. Repeat this breathing exercise after the task has ended (coming home from work, finishing a jog, etc). After the break Sam will talk about more ways to destress on a momentary, daily, weekly and monthly basis.

Segment 4

Sam returns from the break to discuss how we can manage this underlying stress on a daily basis, not just momentary. Sam’s advice is to take a walk. Walk down your street, go to the park...find a place where you can go out and take a walk. Walking is known to stimulate both sides of the brain. Exercise is also key. Come up with a simple routine (5-10 minutes per day) to relieve your brain of stress. Going into nature is another activity that helps your body to destress, heal your body and release toxins. Sam describes the concept of “earthing,” which includes activities like walking barefoot and lying in the grass. Being in contact with natural materials feels good and is essential for the body. Sam says another great way to relieve stress is to take a long hot shower or bath. Turn up the heat so that the shower feels like a sauna. Get bodywork done, such as a massage. Facebook Live listeners chime in with what helps them destress, such as riding a bike. Finally, Sam says one of the most important things is to just sit down and be with yourself. Give your mind some space. Practice it as it’s a very valuable skill. Stress and worry will build up in your system if you don’t give yourself the time and space to be still and let your mind slow down. Find what works for you. If you are having trouble destressing, there’s always the option of working with a professional. If you are interested in working with Sam, he can be reached [e-mail] or [e-mail]. Sam closes by asking listeners for future show suggestions.

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