Stress Tolerance

Nerve-wracking, and overwhelming situations often come unannounced.  When this happens we naturally move to either a fight or flight reaction and neither reaction is likely to help.  Stress tolerance helps us recognize when we’re feeling stressed so we can control our impulse of fight or flight, consider our own personal health and the relationship(s) involved.

Countless studies prove that stress damages our health.  If we don’t learn to manage it, it could actually kill us.

Pay attention to yourself – is your body sending you signals that you need to slow down and recharge yourself?  Are you experiencing aches, pains, fatigue?  Or are you being irritable and short with others?

Things to do:

• Pull out your Crucial Conversations toolkit and review the skills that help you to move from fight or flight to healthy dialogue.
• Deep breathing, eating right, exercise, and getting enough rest are essential behaviors to keep your strength through stressful events.
• Reach out to a friend to join you on a hike or just walk around your building during a break.

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