Stress shows up differently among all individuals. Some may experience physical symptoms like aches and pains, chest pain, trouble sleeping, headaches, stomach issues and/or jaw clenching. Others may experience emotional and mental responses like panic attacks, irritability and/or depression. Here I share some ways to manage stress and how it shows up in your life.

It is totally understandable to react with shock or unease to an unexpected event that you were not prepared for such as when a loved one gets seriously ill, or you are in a car accident. You may connect the word trauma to an experience like this. Other common events associated with the word trauma could be war, assault, or abuse. You would be correct in thinking that these things embody the word trauma, but it only represents a small percentage of what is actually experienced as traumatic in our lives.