My micro stress of the week was a follow up MRI on Saturday morning. Shivering in the oddly starchy hospital gown they gave me, waiting for the technician to call my name, and worried about what the results might be, I resolved to “turn the frown upside down.” I smiled at the tech, who was working on a Saturday after all, and told him I’d be his easiest, most compliant patient. We completed the hour long test in record time, giving him a little free time before his next patient. I knew I couldn’t control the test results but at least I could take the opportunity to connect with another human.
Not all stressors have the opportunity for a silver lining but I’ll keep looking for them whenever I can.
So good to acknowledge that we can be stressed due to many little things adding up too! I sometimes berate myself when I feel generalized anxiety and I pin it all on knowing too much about what's going on in the world at large and the last years of Covid and politics, but you are so right...there's many things in our lives that cause stress and to acknowledge it is the first step to figuring out how to care for ourselves. Great post, Mary!
I'm stealing the below paraphrase as a reminder to myself, I'm doing the best I'm able to with the tools at my disposal.
I'm also adding the book to my TBRL, although I don't know when I'll have the spoons to read it. But it's there!
"....microsstresses are the slush of life, the icky result of little stresses nibbling away at our well-being which depletes our brain, but we don't know why. Being inundated with microstresses, my brain doesn’t have the normal bandwidth to pay attention to an activity or problem-solving."
Great post Mary. So well said, as always. Even in my world of non-stop stress these days, I'm always telling myself that I should be grateful that I have the where with all to manage it all. That my stress is nothing compared to living in a war zone or struggling in poverty. But, it's not a contest, right? Maybe I need to do a better job of acknowledging the stress
I think that’s right. Even if we’re not standing in a food line or living in a tent, we still experience stress. And, as with so many things, saying it out loud robs it of power. Hoping you have a stress-free weekend!
My micro stress of the week was a follow up MRI on Saturday morning. Shivering in the oddly starchy hospital gown they gave me, waiting for the technician to call my name, and worried about what the results might be, I resolved to “turn the frown upside down.” I smiled at the tech, who was working on a Saturday after all, and told him I’d be his easiest, most compliant patient. We completed the hour long test in record time, giving him a little free time before his next patient. I knew I couldn’t control the test results but at least I could take the opportunity to connect with another human.
Not all stressors have the opportunity for a silver lining but I’ll keep looking for them whenever I can.
Ah, that’s lovely. And it gave you a little dose of yourself, too, in that weird, impersonal place.
So good to acknowledge that we can be stressed due to many little things adding up too! I sometimes berate myself when I feel generalized anxiety and I pin it all on knowing too much about what's going on in the world at large and the last years of Covid and politics, but you are so right...there's many things in our lives that cause stress and to acknowledge it is the first step to figuring out how to care for ourselves. Great post, Mary!
Thank you, Linda!
Oh no! That waterproofing spray is KEY. And make sure you reapply it every few months. Excellent metaphor!
Right? It’s amazing. Good reminder to reapply!
Thank you for this post....
I'm stealing the below paraphrase as a reminder to myself, I'm doing the best I'm able to with the tools at my disposal.
I'm also adding the book to my TBRL, although I don't know when I'll have the spoons to read it. But it's there!
"....microsstresses are the slush of life, the icky result of little stresses nibbling away at our well-being which depletes our brain, but we don't know why. Being inundated with microstresses, my brain doesn’t have the normal bandwidth to pay attention to an activity or problem-solving."
Yes! So glad it resonates for you.
Great post Mary. So well said, as always. Even in my world of non-stop stress these days, I'm always telling myself that I should be grateful that I have the where with all to manage it all. That my stress is nothing compared to living in a war zone or struggling in poverty. But, it's not a contest, right? Maybe I need to do a better job of acknowledging the stress
I think that’s right. Even if we’re not standing in a food line or living in a tent, we still experience stress. And, as with so many things, saying it out loud robs it of power. Hoping you have a stress-free weekend!