When was your last frustrating moment?  We all have them.  Mine was about a minute ago when I could not find my reading glasses. Did you know that the average person faces around 30 frustrations each day. They add up rather quickly.  Usually (for me, anyway) there are stressors simply getting out the door each morning.  For those of you who work from home, you may eliminate the frustration of Atlanta traffic, but what about other inconveniences like phone or internet service being interrupted?  No elaboration necessary – we each have a list.

How you approach your frustrations throughout the day may bring about a disproportionate amount of stress response for your body.  A natural response automatically begins when the body detects a stressor; the brain notifies the body to release hormones into the blood stream.   However, long after the stressful event has past, the hormones can linger.  What is fascinating to me is that too much stress has a negative effect on one’s health (our bodies begin to wear down) and too little stress isn’t good either (our bodies become confused and produce too many hormones).

I think it is important to be reminded of this – especially during the holiday season where stressors and frustrations have the potential to multiply faster than an engineer’s calculator.  Note: A small amount of stress is actually good for you. The problem is in how we perceive and handle the stress.  Sometimes the smallest of stressors accumulate over the course of the day and then cause a volcanic reaction.

The holidays?  Maybe there are some things you can let go of this year. Prioritize what is meaningful to you.  Make some new memories which are not quite as elaborate as what you’ve done in the past.  My reading glasses?  Definitely a minor frustration in the day and in retracing my steps, I arrived at the spot where I first began looking. (under piles of papers)  One stressor down and it’s early in the day, 29 to go.

Marlayne Whitlock, M.A.

mwhitlock@ GROWcounseling.com