How I Stopped Stressing Myself with a Little Help from My Friends

Last week I was putting a lot of stress on myself as I was preparing the day before for a webinar I was leading where the technology was new, the content needed updating and I had to practice a 45-minute delivery. When I prepare to present to others, my usually quiet and sometimes easily controlled perfectionist comes screaming out in my head at 194 decibels (the point at which sound waves become shock waves) and I simply can’t shut her up.

I couldn’t take it any longer so I clicked open Facebook and posted:

I’m stressing myself out! 

Someone tell me to stop it!

I am forever grateful to my FB community who has helped me through so many challenges and this one included.  Needless to say, I had an overwhelming number of friends simply say “Stop It.” Having others tell me what I already know always works not only as a reminder but also as permission to do so. 

Here are a few other comments that just made me realize that I am creating all this stress or made me laugh which got me out of my own head: 

• You got this. 
• Just breath. Breath in for 4, hold for 4 and breath out for 4.
• Go to gratitude.
• Worry about something else. Like how come you appeared in one of my many dreams last night? Now that’s something you should really stress about. 
• Sing along and dance to The Supremes Stop! In the Name of Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aax5EDQMOq4
• Stress messes with all of us at times. It will pass.
• Take Ruby (my dog) for a nice long walk. 
• Deeply breath in some lavender or peppermint. This will calm you.
• Stop and salsa instead. This from a woman I traveled with to Cuba.
• Take this stop it treatment methodology.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow0lr63y4Mw
• Do 10 jumping jacks.
• Know you create your own madness.
• My own advice: Reach out to your friends and have them talk you out of it. 

Here is how I solved it. I shut my laptop down and went to bed. 

It worked.

And the webinar went very smoothly. Of course.