#69: How to Control Stress, Pain, and Fear [Podcast and Video]

Welcome to Episode #69 of the Fight for a Happy Life podcast, “Control Stress, Pain, and Fear.” We all have a breaking point. Stress, pain, fear, and doubt will control you and steal away your freedom if you let it. So, how do you stay in control when your mind and body freeze up? I’ve got three tips that might help. I’ve also got a surprise— I recorded this podcast on video! That means you can either listen to the show OR scroll down and watch it. If you’re more of the scanning type, I added a quick summary down there, too. So, pick your format and let’s start fighting back against stress! To LISTEN to “Control Stress, Pain, and Fear”, you can either: Play the show below. Or download to your device. Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Podcasts or Spotify. To READ along, or if the player won’t play, you’ll find a transcript down below. If you’d like to support the show, share this link with a friend or leave a quick review over on iTunes. Thank you! Oh—and don’t forget to sign up for free email updates so you can get new shows sent to your inbox the minute they’re released. Thanks for listening! Keep fighting for a happy life! 🙂 How to Control Stress, Pain, and Fear As promised, here’s the video! SUMMARY How do you stay in control when stress, pain, and fear freeze up your mind and body? TIP #1: MOVE IT Specifically, drop your stress into your stomach. Now, I’m not a doctor and I don’t want to get mystical here, but when it comes to mental pressure, like stress, fear, and doubt, I believe your gut can take more then your brain. Think about digestion. Your gut can sort, process, and balance almost anything and everything you throw into it. But your brain is delicate. It can really only handle one stimulus at a time. And if that stimulus is painful and frustrating, then your whole world is going to be painful and frustrating! So, imagine dropping your stress—like a ball—into your stomach. I think you’ll find that quickly frees up some mental space so you can see the problem from a new perspective and start moving forward. TIP #2: MOVE YOU No, I don’t mean running or jumping, although you certainly could. Instead, simply try breathing… squeezing your fists… wiggling your toes… flexing your thighs… anything, really! The reason this helps is because we tend to stop moving under pressure. It’s natural to retreat and curl up in a ball when we get sad, scared, or hurt. But then you’re trapped! So, while we often let the mind lead the body, when stress and fear take control of your brain, let your body take the lead instead. Moving the body shows your brain that you’re not trapped, which can help it break free again. TIP #3: GIVE YOUR MIND A TASK Your brain is wired to focus on trouble and danger. It wants to help you, but often gets stuck just repeating a problem instead of solving it. To break the cycle, purposely give it something else to think about. Like what? Give yourself a math problem. Write a haiku. Sing a song. Make a to-do list for the day. Count sheep. Anything! Remember–your brain is always ready to work for you. It wants to help. It’s a powerful weapon that just needs to be aimed at the right target. Denial and Distraction To be clear, I’m not telling you to ignore or deny trouble. An insult is still an insult. A threat is still a threat. A broken bone is still a broken bone. I’m just suggesting that you widen your awareness around the problem. Information is power, right? Well, stress, pain, and fear are merely forms of information. The trick is to train ourselves to USE that information, not just repeat it over and over again. If we don’t, we get trapped and lose control. So, don’t let stress freeze your mind or body. Don’t let anything or anyone control you and steal your freedom. Don’t let your own ego or doubts or fears control you and still your freedom. When you feel the world crushing you or suffocating you, breathe… move… think. Focus on what you CAN do, not and what you can’t. Focus on what feels GOOD, not what feels bad. Focus on what’s WORKING, not on what’s broken. Focusing on what you can control instead of what you can’t control is the secret to holding on to your freedom. The post #69: How to Control Stress, Pain, and Fear [Podcast and Video] appeared first on Sensei Ando.