Stress Archives ⋆ Mike and Susan Dawson

Anxiety and Stress – How to tell the difference

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:12:56+00:00Anxiety, Stress|

It's no secret that we all experience a riot of emotions when we face difficult or trying circumstances in life. Perhaps it's a big job interview that you're worried about, a loved one's illness, or marital struggles at home. Whatever the event or situation, we all experience them — and with that comes a heaping plate full of anxiety and stress. But wait, Mike! Aren't Anxiety and Stress the same thing? The quick answer is no. There is a fine line between the two. "Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength." — Charles Spurgeon According to the American Psychological Association, stress is [...]

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Emotional Intelligence: Are you stressing out you and your spouse?

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:14:10+00:00Emotion, Stress|

Let’s say a problem has come up in your marriage. It could be anything — your spouse isn’t 100% truthful about something, or you’re beginning to feel like your spouse doesn’t love you anymore. Regardless of how big or small the issue, it’s getting to the point where you’re withdrawing emotionally. And naturally, it’s stressing out you and your spouse. Do you keep your mouth shut? Or do you finally say something? Stressing out you and your spouse! Most of us would like to believe we’d say something. After all, it’s the only way to get all our feelings and emotions on the table to see if the situation is [...]

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Got Anxiety? Let’s All Just Take A Nice Deep Breath

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:14:13+00:00Control, Stress|

"Breathe. Just Breathe." Those were the words of Master Jedi Luke Skywalker as he trained Rey in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. And, naturally, Rey made it look so easy, right? In mere seconds, Rey reached out and connected with The Force in ways she never imagined — by merely breathing, the anxiety disappeared. Now, you may be thinking, "Well, that's Hollywood for ya!" True. But in real life, Luke's message to take a nice deep breath can just as easily help us relax and, like Rey, see the bigger picture. So why don't we do it enough? Well, you can point to many culprits. Perhaps the biggest is anxiety. [...]

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3 Habits that may be Stressing out your Spouse

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:15:00+00:00Emotion, Stress|

Dana thought that her husband Phil was much more generous with his ex-wife than he’d ever been with her. Although Dana and Phil had been married for several years, Dana worried that Phil just didn’t love her and she felt like a second-class-citizen. In her mind, she’d just never been treated as well as Phil’s ex. Dana felt angry. But instead of bringing this worry up to Phil in a calm and non-threatening way or even just blasting him with her feelings of being less than, she kept her mouth shut, to avoid making the situation worse. Dana believed that she knew exactly what Phil was thinking and had made [...]

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Change your Relationship Stress and Distress Levels on the Fly

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:15:06+00:00Stress|

Last time we said our stress really comes in levels. And, understanding our stress is important because when we are NOT aware of the levels of our distress, we can feel powerless over it. But we can influence some control over our mental and emotional state when we can subjectively measure it. Using a SUDS can help us keep distress levels in perspective. It is useful to have a way of measuring your level of distress or anxiety. You can then become more in touch with your feelings, and can control them more effectively. 100 Highest anxiety/distress that you have ever felt 90 Extremely anxious/distressed 80 Very anxious/distressed, unable [...]

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6 Simple Exercises to Lower Stress Successfully

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:15:06+00:00Stress|

How awareness of stress and distress can help you live and love more successfully- Part I How well do you understand your own stress? Most people don’t consciously differentiate levels in their stress. It’s usually a clean dichotomy of “I’m really stressed,” or “I am totally calm.” But our stress really comes in levels and there are many shades of gray. So what’s the problem with a “black and white” understanding of our stress? When we are NOT aware of the levels of our stress, we tend to feel powerless over our stress; and We aren't aware we can influence some control over our own mental and emotional state. The reality [...]

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What Crucial Opportunities are we Losing by Being Overwhelmed?

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:16:48+00:00Change, Stress|

When was the last time you just sat, alone, in the quiet? No phone, no tv, no tech of any kind. No one but just you. I’m waiting, so you can think… I can’t remember the last time that I really did nothing. Wasn’t reading or praying or trying to work something out in my mind. It’s hard to just let everything go and not have stress. That’s just how we Americans usually function. There’s research and some hard evidence that the harried, frenzied, frazzled and worn-out lives many of us lead are costing us more than we can imagine. The price is withdrawn from our bank accounts, relationships, and [...]

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Make Holiday Hopes and Expectations into Realities

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:16:55+00:00Expectations, Stress|

“I hate the holidays!” It absolutely hurt my heart to hear a man say this to me not too long ago. The holidays were around the corner and every year it became a fight with his wife on where they would go, who they would see, what they were going to do and other expectations. Someone in the family was going to get their feelings hurt. And so, they would take it out on each other. Disappointment. Hurt feelings. Fights. Holiday hopes and realities can seem to be utterly opposed to each other. Our general expectations for the holiday season are excitement, a time of peace and celebration. It’s a [...]

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Is Stress Affecting Your Most Important Relationships?

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:16:56+00:00Stress|

It seems like everyone has stress. But honestly, it really is a natural part of being human. When our life’s events and circumstances tax us beyond what we can cope with, stress is the result. Stressors are external events which cause an emotional or physical reaction. The impact of the things we experience depends on whether we perceive the events positively or negatively. “Psychological stress is the mismatch between an individual’s coping skills and the demands of the environment.” – Dan McGee Conflict Demands Fear Assumptions Expectations Time Pressures Physical and Emotional Pain These are only a few of the components linked to our stress. They certainly cause a sense of [...]

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Have the In-Control Life You Love and Be the Envy of Your Friends

michaeldawsonlpc@gmail.com2024-01-08T01:17:42+00:00Change, Stress|

3 Simple Steps to Overcome Life’s Whirlwind! Imagine having an in-control life you love and being the envy of all your friends There’s been a lot of doing going on around our house the past two months. Well actually, there always is, but these past few months have been extra challenging and there’s been some stress. It’s been home improvement time at the Dawson’s, so we have had some painting done and new flooring installed. This is a wonderful blessing and we are thrilled to be able to upgrade our 17+ year-old stuff. However, if you’ve experienced the blessing of home improvements, you also know there’s a lot of packing, [...]

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