Wellbeing Archives - Executive Wellness and Culture Change Firm | Executive Wellness and Culture Change Firm | Executive Wellness and Culture Change Firm

The Dark Side of Resilience: How Overusing It Can Impact Your Well-Being

Miller Caton — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 14:00:08 +0000

Introduction

Have you ever had to overcome a challenging situation in your life and wondered how you would do it? Perhaps you’ve had to deal with a serious health condition, the death of a loved one, or an unexpected change in your situation. Resilience—the capacity to adjust and bounce back from setbacks—becomes crucial in these circumstances.

I have experienced my fair share of personal adversity, including armed robbery, a near-death encounter, and even homelessness, so I am well aware of the value of resilience. It might mean the difference between giving up and battling through the most trying circumstances. But what happens when we rely too heavily on our resilience?

In this article, we’ll talk about the concept of “resilience” and how it can help us get through difficult times. We’ll also look at the problem of using resilience too much and how that can lead to burnout, stress, and other negative outcomes. We’ll even discuss resilience fatigue, a lesser-known ailment that affects BIPOC and other marginalized groups. In order to avoid overusing resilience and promote general well-being, we’ll also provide helpful tips for finding a balance, setting boundaries, and engaging in self-care. To discover more, keep reading.

Developing Resilience as a Skill and Understanding Resilience Fatigue

Many people are unaware of the fact that resilience is a skill that can be developed over time, rather than something we are born with. Being able to adapt to adversity and effectively deal with challenges are prerequisites for developing resilience. It entails creating a collection of coping skills that can be used in stressful or emergency situations.

It’s crucial to concentrate on your own personal assets and create a solid support system if you want to develop resilience. You can also practice positive self-talk, hone your problem-solving abilities, and partake in activities that advance your emotional and physical well-being.

Building resilience is crucial, but it’s also critical to understand the idea of “resilience fatigue.” This happens when someone relies too much on their resilience to get through challenging circumstances. Although our capacity for resilience can help us deal with stress and adversity, relying too heavily on it can have detrimental effects such as burnout and stress.

Resilience fatigue can be particularly challenging for members of marginalized groups like the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community, who may encounter unique and systemic difficulties in their lives. Constantly overcoming obstacles can be exhausting and leave one feeling discouraged and hopeless.

Because of this, it’s critical to realize that while resilience is a useful skill, it shouldn’t be relied upon exclusively to deal with adversity. Other tactics, like establishing boundaries, saying no when necessary, and taking care of oneself, can help to lessen the strain on a person’s resilience. People can maintain their well-being, continue to grow, and thrive by finding balance and not relying solely on one skill.

How Overusing Resilience Impacts the BIPOC Community

It’s important to reiterate that while resilience is necessary for overcoming obstacles in life, using it excessively can be harmful to our health. People of color (BIPOC) in particular face unique challenges and structural barriers that can be harmful to their mental and physical health.

Systemic and institutionalized barriers that BIPOC people must overcome can make it challenging for them to take advantage of opportunities and resources that are easily accessible to others. This can include racial and discriminatory experiences as well as differences in access to healthcare, employment, and education. These difficulties may cause people to experience stress and adversity more frequently and intensely, which can put a heavy strain on their capacity for resilience and coping.

For BIPOC people, the negative effects of overusing resilience can be particularly severe. It’s simple to rely too heavily on resilience as a coping strategy when dealing with systemic obstacles and stressors. Burnout, exhaustion, and other negative effects may result, which may make already existing health disparities worse. Additionally, the constant need to be resilient can discourage people from looking for the resources and support they might require to maintain their well-being.

It is critical to remember that everyone, regardless of background or identity, can benefit from learning resilience. We can improve our confidence, adaptability, and capacity to deal with any situation by developing our resilience. However, it’s also critical to acknowledge the particular difficulties that BIPOC people might encounter and to make sure that they have access to the tools and assistance they require to keep themselves in good health.

Resilience is a valuable trait that can aid us in overcoming life’s obstacles. However, it’s also critical to understand the drawbacks that excessive reliance on resilience can have, particularly for people of color (BIPOC). We can work to maintain our resilience while also working to maintain our general well-being by engaging in self-care practices and asking for help when we need it.

Practical Strategies for Creating Balance

To prevent overusing resilience and preserve general wellbeing, balance is essential. We can avoid burnout and fatigue by striking a balance between the responsibilities of daily life and self-care and personal needs. Here are some doable tactics that can assist in striking a balance and preserving well-being:

Learning To Say No: It can be challenging to say “no,” but it’s crucial to put your own needs and objectives first. Rejecting requests that you can’t fulfill or that don’t go along with your values is acceptable. Practice being respectful and polite when you say “no.” It is critical to set healthy boundaries in order to avoid feeling overburdened or overworked.
Establishing Boundaries: Overworking and stress can be avoided by establishing clear boundaries for yourself and communicating them to others. Make sure you set aside specific times for work, rest, and leisure. Maintain those restrictions and abstain from going beyond them.
Being Assertive: Being assertive entails clearly and confidently expressing your needs and boundaries. Avoid being aggressive or passive when expressing your worries and emotions by using “I” statements instead. You can promote your needs and develop a more balanced lifestyle by being assertive.
Being Honest: Being honest and up front with yourself can prevent you from taking on more than you can handle. Be sincere about your needs and limitations with both yourself and other people. As a result, an atmosphere of respect and understanding can be fostered, helping to prevent burnout and fatigue.
Self-Care Techniques: You may feel more balanced and energized by taking part in activities that support your physical and emotional well-being. Exercise, mindfulness, and getting enough sleep are crucial self-care routines that can support well-being.

Try scheduling time for self-care activities, creating attainable goals, and getting practice declining requests that don’t fit with your values or goals to put these strategies into practice.

Although it may be difficult, work to maintain your wellness and prevent overusing resilience by aiming to keep things in balance. Utilizing these practical techniques will help you maintain your equilibrium and take care of your overall well-being.

Lesser-Known Tips for Creating Balance

There are some lesser-known tips for finding balance that can help you avoid overusing your resilience and maintain your well-being in addition to the useful strategies we covered in the previous section. Here are just a few:

Set Small Goals: Setting smaller goals can help you divide larger goals into more manageable steps, even though it’s important to have big goals that motivate you. This can prevent you from becoming overburdened and stressed, and it can help you advance toward your objectives without getting worn out.
Take Breaks: It’s crucial to take breaks from work or other obligations so that you can rest and reenergize. This can give you the energy and renewed perspective you need when you return to your work. You could take a brief stroll, practice deep breathing techniques, or just close your eyes and inhale deeply.
Seek Social Support: When it comes to maintaining your well-being, having a supportive network of friends and family can be a great asset. You may feel less alone and more supported if you confide in someone about your stressors and challenges. However, if you are someone who finds it challenging to connect with others, please check out our piece on loneliness here
Practice Gratitude: You can keep a more upbeat and hopeful outlook on life by concentrating on the positive aspects of your life. Try listing three things each day for which you are grateful, or just stop and think about all the wonderful things in your life.
Engage In Creative Pursuits: Painting, writing, or playing music are just a few examples of creative endeavors that can help to lower stress and improve wellbeing. You can use these activities to express yourself, unwind, and interact with something you like.

It might be difficult for you to get to this point, but if you start working toward it, you can really contribute to establishing a sense of balance in your life that will support your pursuit for wellness. By incorporating these lesser-known strategies and making self-care a priority, which are essential if you want to continue facing challenges and overcoming them, you can gradually avoid overusing your resilience.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve talked about the idea of resilience and how, if overused, it can lead to burnout and other negative effects in addition to being a useful skill for dealing with stress and adversity. We also discussed how BIPOC people and other marginalized communities can suffer when resilience is overused.

However, there are useful tactics that people can use to maintain their wellbeing and find balance. The ability to say “no,” creating clear boundaries, being honest and assertive, and taking care of oneself are all crucial strategies for finding balance in life. We can avoid burnout and maintain our resilience over time by prioritizing and incorporating these techniques into our daily lives.

We also shared some lesser-known strategies for achieving balance, like cultivating a growth mindset, practicing gratitude, enlisting the aid of others, and partaking in creative endeavors. These suggestions can help us develop our resilience and give us more tools for dealing with stress and adversity.

It’s critical to keep in mind that everyone can benefit from resilience, which is a skill that can be developed over time. By focusing on balance and incorporating helpful strategies for us, we can build resilience and better manage the stress and adversity that we may encounter.

Always keep in mind that life will present us with difficulties that we must overcome. This is why prioritizing your needs and taking care of yourself is crucial. By doing so, you will be better able to face life’s challenges with poise, a renewed sense of harmony, and resilience.

Spread the word about the importance of resilience and balance in your network! Share this article with your friends and family to help us build a community that thrives on well-being.

—

As a reminder, if you need additional support, we have even more advice and tools available to help you combat stress. Receive our free ebook, “Unlock the Secrets of Managing Stress and Building Resilience,” filled with resources and tested tactics, when you sign up for our newsletter. This thorough manual is the ideal resource for anyone looking to overcome loneliness and lead a happy, fulfilling life.

So start the journey toward a more enjoyable and rewarding life today!

Also, our premium mindfulness workbook, Get Clear: A Mindfulness Workbook, can be exactly what you need if you’re looking for further direction and encouragement on your quest to conquer stress and foster mindfulness. This workbook is made up of over 160 pages of inspiring quotes, growth-minded exercises, and thought-provoking writing prompts that are intended to help you discover your inner potential and achieve more clarity and inner peace.

Get Clear is the ideal tool for personal development and self-discovery, regardless of whether you’re trying to get rid of sensations of being stuck, lost, or anxious.

So embrace your inner growth today! Order your copy now and transform your life with clarity and joy!

More about Miller

The post The Dark Side of Resilience: How Overusing It Can Impact Your Well-Being appeared first on Executive Wellness and Culture Change Firm.

Chronic Stress and Communities of Color: How to Weather the Storm

Miller Caton — Sat, 18 Feb 2023 14:00:15 +0000

Introduction to Stress

Stress is a normal part of everyday life. Everyone experiences it, whether it’s from a big exam or a sports event. Even major life events like moving or losing a loved one can cause stress.

But what exactly is stress? When faced with a challenge or demand, your body produces stress as a typical physical and mental reaction. It’s a response to anything that throws you off balance or threatens you.

The hormones cortisol and adrenaline are released by your body when you’re under stress, providing you with added strength, power, and bravery to deal with the stressful situation. This is called the “fight or flight” response, which has been a survival strategy for humans for thousands of years.

Although some stress can be beneficial, too much can have negative effects. It is essential to comprehend stress, its impact on you, and how to manage it. So, let’s dive into the realm of chronic stress and how it impacts us!

Acute vs Chronic Stress

There are two main categories of stress: acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is temporary stress that develops as a result of a particular circumstance. A test or a speech in front of a large audience, for instance, can be extremely stressful. Once the situation is resolved, this kind of stress typically ends.

Contrarily, chronic stress is persistent stress that lasts for a longer period of time. This kind of stress is brought on by ongoing issues like a challenging job, money problems, or relationship problems. Your mental and physical health may suffer from chronic stress, which can also cause you to feel anxious, depressed, and overloaded.

Understanding the distinction between acute and chronic stress is crucial if you want to learn how to control your stress levels. It might be time to talk to someone about how you’re feeling and what you can do to manage your stress levels if you’ve been feeling stressed for a while.

So keep in mind that while stress can be beneficial in moderation, excessive amounts can have a negative impact on your health and well-being. To maintain your happiness, health, and lack of stress, be aware of your stress levels and take action to manage them.

Weathering: The Harmful Impact of Chronic Stress on People of Color

Again, the stress of everyday life is common. It can improve our performance under pressure, but over time, it may have negative effects on our mental and physical health.

Long-term stress that lasts for weeks, months, or even years is referred to as chronic stress and is particularly harmful. Numerous health issues, such as heart disease, obesity, and depression, may result from it.

Chronic stress, however, can have even more harmful effects on health for people of color. Weathering is the term used to describe the process by which long-term stressors, such as discrimination and poverty, can speed up aging and impair health.

In the 1990s, public health researcher Arline Geronimus first used the term “weathering.” She noticed that, even after adjusting for variables like income and education, Black women still had higher rates of preterm birth than White women. Geronimus proposed that the cause was long-term stress brought on by poverty and discrimination, which over time was “weathering” the bodies of Black women.

Research since then has established that weathering is a real phenomenon. According to studies, Black people in particular experience higher levels of stress than White people do. This stress has been linked to a variety of unhealthy outcomes, from high blood pressure to diabetes.

Because it gradually breaks down the body, much like how waves destroy a rock, weathering is extremely dangerous. The hormone cortisol, which aids in our response to the stressor, is produced by the body when we are under stress. However, prolonged high cortisol levels can harm our cells and cause inflammation, which is connected to a variety of health issues. Chronic stress can also result in unhealthy coping strategies like binge eating, smoking, or drinking. These actions can stress us out even more while also endangering our health.

It’s crucial to understand that individual stressors like losing a job or going through a breakup don’t always lead to weathering. It is brought on by long-lasting, systemic stressors rooted in social and economic inequality, such as poverty and discrimination. Furthermore, because these stressors are so ingrained in our culture, it may be challenging to get away from them.

According to a 2019 study that was published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Black Americans age biologically more quickly than White Americans. Telomere length, a marker of cellular aging, was examined in the study, and it was discovered that Black people had shorter telomeres than white people did. This study suggests that the stressors of racism and discrimination may contribute to weathering in people of color.

Another 2015 study found that weathering may help to explain some of the racial differences in maternal and infant mortality rates. This study was published in the American Journal of Public Health. According to the study, weathering may be a factor in the maternal mortality rate disparity that exists between Black and White women in the United States, which is three to four times greater for Black women.This study also indicates, persistent stress from racism and discrimination may raise the risk of pregnancy complications and preterm birth, which would raise mortality rates for Black mothers and children.

The seriousness of weathering for people of color is highlighted by these studies, which also show how it increases the risk of pregnancy complications, mortality, and biological aging. To lessen the chronic stress that people of color experience, it is crucial to address the systemic causes of racism and discrimination.

There is no doubt that weathering is a significant problem for people of color, and resolving it calls for both individual and systemic solutions. We can work toward a more equitable and healthful society for all by taking steps to lessen chronic stress and addressing the causes of racism and discrimination.

Practical Solutions to Cope with Weathering

So what can we do to deal with weathering now that we are aware of what it is and how it can affect our health?

We can take measures to manage the effects of stress on our physical and mental health even though we often cannot control the stressors that lead to weathering. Here are a few examples:

Prioritize self-care: Self-care is crucial for stress management and enhancing general well-being. This can involve practices like getting proper rest, complying to a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and taking breaks to unwind and refuel.
Seek support: Don’t be hesitant to seek out support from friends, family, or mental health professionals. Your mental health can be improved and stress can be decreased by talking to someone about your feelings and your experiences.
Engage in relaxation techniques: Deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, and massages can all help you unwind and reduce stress.
Create boundaries: Now, this is a big one within communities of color, but in both your personal and professional life, setting boundaries can help you cope with stress and avoid burnout. Saying “no” to additional responsibilities when you need a break or if possible taking time off of work when you’re feeling overburdened are two examples of how to do this.
Get involved in community activism: It can also help to improve health outcomes to address the societal problems that lead to weathering. Participating in community activism, such as pushing for just laws or giving your time to a nearby nonprofit, can contribute to positive change.

Keep in mind that dealing with weathering is a lifelong process, and different people will respond to different things in different ways. It’s critical to try out various coping mechanisms to determine which suits you the best.

You can take steps to manage the effects of weathering on your health and well-being by prioritizing self-care, seeking support, practicing relaxation techniques, setting boundaries, and becoming active in your community.

——

If you’re also looking for additional support, Get Clear: A Mindfulness Workbook, is an excellent resource for anyone seeking relief from stress and anxiety. With practical exercises and helpful guidance, this workbook can help individuals achieve greater clarity, focus, and peace of mind. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, or simply looking for a tool to aid in self-discovery and personal growth, Get Clear can provide the support you need. Its accessible format and content make it perfect for anyone looking to improve their overall well-being, especially in regards to stress management.

If you’re ready to take steps towards a calmer and more centered life, Get Clear: A Mindfulness Workbook is the perfect tool for you. Get your copy today!

More about Miller

References:

Geronimus, A. T., Hicken, M., Keene, D., & Bound, J. (2006). “Weathering” and age patterns of allostatic load scores among blacks and whites in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 96(5), 826-833.

Krieger, N., & Sidney, S. (1996). Racial discrimination and blood pressure: The CARDIA Study of young black and white adults. American Journal of Public Health, 86(10), 1370-1378.

The post Chronic Stress and Communities of Color: How to Weather the Storm appeared first on Executive Wellness and Culture Change Firm.