You don’t need to get rid of stress

Here’s a fact: 80% of people complain they are stressed out.

They’re overwhelmed by work, life, family, money, social media and everything in between.

Whether they call it anxiety, trauma, ADHD, brain fog or something else, it all boils down to stress.

So you would think that the solution is to get rid of stress, right?

Actually, no. 

In fact, when we try to get rid of any part of us, whether it’s the sad part, the angry part, the perfectionistic part, the controlling part, the fearful part, the stressed part… it will never work.

Why? Because the stressed-out part and (all the other parts) are just there to show you there’s an opportunity to pour more love into yourself. 

What all of these parts are seeking is integration. They want to be noticed and acknowledged. 

“That’s nice,” you might say, “but what does that mean and more importantly, how?”

First off, it means that love is the universal solvent; it dissolves anything and everything that’s not a vibrational match.

Let’s say you have a fish tank filled with nice clean filtered water. Then you put a drop of red dye in it. Will you see the red dye? No. It dissolves into the water. 

Let’s say the water is love and the red dye is anger. When you put anger into the ocean (or fish tank) of love, it dissolves. You’ve got the filter in there too, so the anger just becomes love. 

That’s what it means. Now… onto the how. How can you integrate and dissovle stress rather than get rid of it?

Here are three options:

1- Turn on the observer

When you notice you feel stressed, you want to tap into the part of you that’s much bigger than the stress. It’s your inner observer. Turn on your observer as soon as you notice your mind spiralling or going down a rabbit hole.

Get behind the busy-ness of the mind and just watch what it does. You don’t have to buy into the thoughts. You simply observe them.

Although it doesn’t sound like this practice will work, it does. And although you might think you don’t know how, you do. It’s deceptively simple and super effective. 

Declare to yourself that you inner observer is now activated and be on the lookout for opportunities to observe the mind in action. 

2- Belly breathing

When you feel stressed, it’s linked to the primitive brain, which is reactive. It’s responsible for the fight or flight response and it’s emotional. When you belly breathe, you soothe that part of the brain, getting it out of its reactivity. 

The prefrontal cortex gets activated instead and rational thought can occur. Then you can coach yourself into new choices. Belly breathing also turns on the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) so you feel better immediately. 

Breathe in through the nose, expand the belly like a beachball and then exhale, either through the nose or the mouth, pressing the belly button toward the spine. Make the inhales and exhales equal in length and extend them as long as possible. 

You can even add in a count of 4 or 8 for each inhale and exhale. Inner peace is just a few breaths away.

3- Conscious Breathwork

Options 1 and 2 are in-the-moment solutions for when you’re already stressed. Bigger picture, there’s a way to train your whole system to become less reactive so that what used to stress you out no longer does. 

It’s possible to live most and even all of your life stress-free. For that to happen, we need to integrate those reactive parts and the quickest and most efficient way to do that is through conscious breathwork. 

I talk about 9D Breathwork a lot because it’s rapidly changing not only my life but also the lives of millions of people around the world. I only share what works and 9D Breathwork works wonders. 

It’s a scientifically-backed method that helps people release stress from the root. This isn’t surface-level stuff—it goes deep, tackling what’s really causing stress and that’s because mind, body and breath are getting activated simultaneously which is absolutely the most effective way to integrate stress.

You could talk about what stresses you out for years and never really find peace with it (you just get good at identifying it) but when you consciously breathe through it, finally that stuck energy has a place to go and issues get permanently resolved. 

It’s so powerful. 

This month’s journey is designed specifically to integrate Stress and Anxiety and I thought it would be the perfect time to do it, what with the holidays approaching. 

(Because the most wonderful time of the year can also be the most stressful time of the year.)

Imagine spending 90 minutes focused on paying attention to those parts of you that are desperately seeking attention and then walking away feeling lighter, calmer, and full of gratitude.

Doesn’t that sound appealing?

This breathwork journey is a down-regulation experience, meaning that it’s not intense like some of the other ones. 

It’s peaceful and calming and even teaches you a variety of breathwork practices you can use out and about as needed.

So, you’re invited. There are two options for journeys this month and if you can’t attend live (online), replays will be available for 48 hours. 

Details and registration are here

The point is this: 

You don’t have to live at the mercy of stress or anxiety, feeling powerless and scared. 

Instead, you can become the observer, breathe into the belly and integrate stress at its root. Deep inner peace is possible. 

I know because I’ve gone on this journey myself - from mostly stressed most of the time to calm and peaceful; from spending a great deal of time worried and feeling anxious to feeling empowered and at ease. 

I’d love for you to feel the same way, no matter what’s happening in your life. 

It’s completely possible. We just have to take action and put in the effort in a conscious way. 

May you have a week filled with integration and inner peace. 

With powerful love and rising courage,

Christina

>Creator of Courageous Self-Care

>nursing the blisters from my first winter boot walk of the season (which was absolutely gorgeous!)

>had so much fun on my birthday last week what with a body wrap, spending time with my family and some family friends, and then going to two movies (TWO MOVIES! In different theatres! On the same day! What abundance.)

PS - Our next complimentary Remote Group Healing Open House is happening today - Tuesday November 19. Get your body out of fight or flight, balance your entire system and experience healing on all levels. Click here to sign up. Can’t attend live? A replay will be available for 48 hours.

One of my birthday requests was a couple of pairs of my favourite socks. I LOVE socks from Le Bon Shoppe (the brand). They are comfy, cozy, stylish and sporty. I decided to upgrade from the Costco Puma socks and these socks are definitely an upgrade. 

If you search up Girlfriend Socks by Le Bon Shoppe, you'll see how cute they are. I got the black ones and the brown ones.

(My other birthday requests were a new dustbuster (check!) and for my beloved to patch up the remaining holes in the walls from the last owners (check!). It was a fantastic birthday.)

Speaking of peace and calm, here’s a song to help give you those vibes.

It’s called Spanish Sunrise (which just about autocorrected to Spinach Sunrise - a totally different experience) and it’ by Ryan Judd.

This song is absolutely beautiful. It will have you feeling centered and uplifted in no time. 

Search up Spanish Sunrise by Ryan Judd on your favourite streaming service and then feel mellow and melty.