So everyone has a normal level of functioning right? On any given day, as long as nothing is out of whack then we are functioning "normally". In a perfect world we would love to function at this level every day. Unfortunately, there are mountains of things that impact our effectiveness from lack of sleep to getting fired from work.
The goal is to become aware of what our "normal" looks like and then set ourselves up on a daily basis to be as close to that normal as possible. If we go through our day like mindless zombies ("World War Z" or "Warm Bodies" you choose the image here!) then we make it nearly impossible to recognize our triggers to stress and frustration.
What might be some triggers for you? Ask yourselves these questions: How did I sleep? Have I taken my meds? Have I eaten yet? Am I sick? Has anything really stressful happened lately? All of these questions can help determine what things might be impacting your mood and your ability to cope with stress.
When we are functioning below our baseline, this can have a serious impact on our work life, our personal relationships, how we feel and think about ourselves. If we are feeling physically sick, our bodies are expending a lot of energy getting well again. So that means their might not be much energy left over for emotion control so we lash out and get grumpy very easily.
Awareness is the key to change. If you take the time to become aware of patterns of behavior or triggers to stress, you are taking the first step toward managing them more effectively.
~Rikki
