Stress, Table Saws and Stomach Knots

As I was reading about health the other day, the article emphasized removing stress from our lives. I thought, of course, that is a no-brainer!

But then I wondered, besides the obvious areas where we notice stress, what about the small, tiny, hidden, invisible, under-the-radar areas of stress that we don’t even pay attention to. What lies hidden there, waiting to spring on us when we least expect it? What tiny, microscopic triggers jolt our blood pressure up or make our hearts pound or send cortisol pumping toward a flight or fight response?

Well, now that our stomachs are in knots and shoulders are tense just thinking about this, let’s take a deep breath . . . in and ouuuuuut. Whooo. There, that’s better.

But, if it interests you to find hidden areas of stress in your lives, I’ve attached a stress checklist. It is designed to help you think through your day in tiny increments to look for unexpected places and times of stress to hopefully help you identify and find solutions.

When our sons were around 9 and 10 years old, their lives seemed to increase in creativity. They’d come home from school and have projects and ideas they wanted to make, or homework assignments, or improvements they wanted to make for their rooms. One time, our 10 year old want to cut a piece of plywood in the garage on the table saw. Being a responsible mom, I’d suggest they wait until their dad got home as I lacked experience in this area. It would be a few hours of waiting. However, our son was very motivated, and I wanted to be a cool mom that tries things. So, I turned it on, and tried running a large piece of wood through the table saw. As I pushed the plywood the wrong way across the blade, it grabbed the wood and flung it high speed (although it was a slow-motion horror film for me) away from us, across the garage and INTO the opposite wall. I looked at my son, turned the saw off, grabbed him by the shoulders which were thankfully still attached to his head, and we walked into the house, never to try this again.

The reason for this story is that I began to feel stress in my stomach around 2pm knowing they would be home in about an hour and I wondered what questions they’d have, what projects they’d want to make, which friends they’d be asking to bring home with them, what I’d make for supper etc. I loved being a mom, don’t get me wrong here. But having chronic pain with unexpected symptoms also meant that sometimes it was extra hard to do extra things even though I wanted to be as involved as I could with our kids. I wanted them to be creative. I wanted to assist however I could. I wanted to enjoy this energetic, social, creative stage of life with them!

So as I noticed stress, the stomach knot being my best indicator, I countered it with a new routine. Every day at 2pm, I’d stop what I was doing and make myself a cup of coffee and a piece of toast or something, and go sit in the sunshine. I’d relax and enjoy a break. It was awesome. I took pain meds if I needed them, assessed my energy, decided what I’d be willing to do for the next part of the day, then I’d get in the car and go pick up the kids ready for whatever adventures the evening held.

Our bodies communicate pretty clearly if we pay attention to them. They are designed to help us know how to take care of ourselves. So, if you’re up for it, try this stress checklist. You can print it and without thinking too hard, check the areas that currently give you stress (little or lots). Then once you’re done, consider what you can do to counter the stress with an opposite strategy. If you feel stuck, ask someone you trust to look at the list with you. They may have some great ideas that could assist you.

I wish you a less-stress day. And stay away from table saws, unless you have the skills.  😊