There was a season in my life when stress felt like a constant companion.
It was the year I left my corporate position to start my coaching and training business (2013).
On paper, it looked exciting. I had been counting down for over 4 years (1,100 days!). I had an app on my phone telling me how many days I had left. I knew the exact day almost four years before. True.
It felt like a bold step. A new chapter. A chance to live my purpose. And nothing was going to stop me.
In reality, it was overwhelming. As I got closer to the date I realized how unprepared I really was.
Everything at work went really well though. I ended a 2 year project on a high note. They gave me a party. It felt great.
Yet . . . I walked away from a six-figure salary at the very same time Paul was entering retirement and cutting his work hours in half. Our financial picture changed almost overnight.
I was learning how to run a business in my early 50s — marketing, website, design and creating my group coaching program, sales — all new things that were unfamiliar and intimidating.
At the same time, life at home was shifting.
Our daughter moved back in, pregnant and navigating the end of a relationship. Suddenly, our “empty nest” was full again. Emotions were high. Responsibilities increased. Our future felt uncertain.
It was a storm of stress alright!
Outwardly, I kept moving forward. One foot in front of the other.
Inwardly, my nervous system was in overdrive. My brain was going a mile a minute.
Looking back now, I understand what was happening from both a psychological and physiological perspective.
Stress is not simply a busy schedule or a full to-do list.
It is a whole-body experience.
When we perceive uncertainty or threat, the brain activates survival responses. Stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline increase. Your heart rate rises. Muscles tighten. Digestion and immune functioning may become less efficient. Sleep can be disrupted. Concentration becomes more difficult.
Over time, chronic activation of this stress response can affect your mood, energy, decision-making, and yes, even long-term health.
In that first year, I opened my schedule to 100 free coaching sessions, which I completed in 10 months.
I talked with many high-functioning people and noted that they continue to perform while living in a nearly constant state of internal pressure.
From the outside, they appear capable and composed. Inside, their nervous system rarely experiences true rest. I was feeling like this too!
During that season, I realized I needed a different way to cope.
I picked up a book that changed my life. It was written by Michael Brown, The Presence Process. That was when I began meditating. Every single day.
At first, it was very uncomfortable! So hard to just sit.
My mind wandered. My body resisted stillness. I questioned whether it was even helping.
But I stayed with it. Paul was going through the process with me, too.
Gradually, we noticed changes for both of us.
My breathing slowed more easily.
My thoughts became less reactive.
I was better able to respond to challenges rather than immediately react.
The biggest benefit was that it healed a lot of past trauma I had never dealt with. I was able to reduce the accumulated pain I had been hanging onto. I felt lighter and freer to be me.
From a neuroscience perspective, regular meditation supports the brain’s ability to regulate emotional responses. It strengthens areas involved in attention and self-awareness while helping calm the brain’s fight-or-flight centers.
The nervous system begins to learn that it is safe to settle and stay centered.
This internal reset was essential for creating lasting change in me.
I have also integrated other wellness strategies, one of which is hypnotherapy.
It’s another powerful way to help the mind and body access deeper relaxation and new patterns of response. When the nervous system experiences focused calm, it becomes more receptive to healthier emotional and behavioral programming.
Reflection for this week:
Where might stress be living in your body — not just in your schedule?
In next week’s newsletter, I will share how confidence can be developed as a learnable state rather than something you either have or don’t have.
Your Opportunity for stress reduction:
Got stress? Would you like to feel some relief from it? I am opening up a limited number of sessions for those of you who read my newsletter to experience a complimentary, stress-relieving hypnotherapy session.
Simply reply to this email if you are interested, and we’ll find a time that works for both of us. It will be for one hour, on Zoom.
In the meantime, get quiet, go within, and fill up your cup with peace to reset your nervous system.
Warmly,
Maureen
