Stress: The Unexpected Mentor You Didn't Know You Had

Stress isn’t just an unwelcome guest—it’s a messenger with valuable lessons. In this episode, we’ll explore how stress signals can guide you toward growth, alignment, and balance. You’ll learn how to pause, decode the real message behind your stress, and take practical steps like grounding yourself, taking intentional action, and setting boundaries. Plus, a reminder about the importance of self-compassion—you’ll always be your longest companion. By the end, you’ll feel empowered to turn stressful moments into opportunities for resilience and clarity. Tune in and learn how to thrive, not just survive!

IG: @themrmindd

Transcript

Ryan Johnson (00:00):

Stress. It's that tightness in your chest, that racing mind, that pressure in your shoulders. But if I told you that stress isn't just something to battle or to avoid that is trying to tell you something, we're going to dive into how stress can be one of your greatest teachers. By the end of this episode, you'll know how to recognize the hidden messages behind stress, and you'll know practical steps to manage it all the while learning the lessons it's trying to deliver. Let's go. Thank you so much for tuning into the Mr. Mind Podcast. Your twice a week dose of living well, even though it might be with stress, if that's the case, good thing you tuned into this episode. Something about stress. Most people think that stress is a negative force in reality, stress is like a flashing warning light on your dashboard. It's saying, Hey, something needs your attention.
(01:15)
Well, common stress triggers is, well, there's three main ones, right? You have overcommitment, right? When you take in too much, you don't have the ability to say no sound familiar. Then you have uncertainty, fear of the unknown. How am I going to pay my bills next week? I'm going to feed my family next week. I made a promise. How can I fulfill that promise? And number three, feeling out of control. And that's when circumstances flatly fill beyond our grasp. I can't control the outcome of this, therefore it brings me stress. Something to know about. Stress is that stress isn't the enemy. It's a signal. When we reframe stress as our messenger, we can take a step back and ask, what is it really telling me? What is it really telling me? What do I need to change? When you're feeling stressed, the next time you're feeling stressed, pause and ask yourself.
(02:19)
Say, Hey, what exactly is causing this stress? What need is being unmet? Or perhaps what action or boundary could alleviate this? I have a lot of different work projects that happen at once, and it's very easy for them to start overlapping, oh, I have to do this. Oh my gosh, I can't do that because there's not enough time. Oh my gosh, what do I need to do? And then here comes stress steps in with a white robe. Hey, here I am, Ryan. Your stress. And at first, yes, it is definitely overwhelming, but then you think, okay, well there's a reason for, so what I do is I start trying to figure out exactly what it is. I ask myself, okay, well what do I need to do? What's the most important thing to do? But then here comes this. Oh my gosh. Well, that's really important and that's just as important, but that's for two different projects.
(03:14)
How do I do it within the allotted amount of time? Well, this is how you do it. You just start. You just start. And that's what I did. Okay, well, let me do the steps. What do I need to do this moment that's going to push me in the direction of completion of that task so we can move forward? What can I do? And also, sometimes stress is simply a reminder that we're living out of alignment with our values, with our goals. So here are three practical steps to manage stress, breathe and ground yourself. And it may sound corny, but I promise you it works. And that is one of the quickest ways to calm stress. Focus on your breath. And I say this throughout the podcasts for one reason, because it works. Try this. Inhale for four counts. Hold for four, exhale for four.
(04:11)
Inhale, four counts. Hold for four counts. Exhale for four counts. Repeat a few times to reset your nervous system. And that's how you ground yourself when it comes to stress. Another way to manage stress would be to take small intentional actions. Yes, I say this one is well all the time because it works. Guys, there's a reason for this. Just break your overwhelming tasks into small, manageable steps because action creates clarity and most importantly, builds momentum. Another practical step, this would be step number three. This is to set boundaries. Learn to say no to things that don't serve your priorities. That's selfish. If it's not in your priority and it's taken up a lot of your time, say no. Here's a tricky thing. A lot of times you have to say no to yourself. Mindless social media, scrolling, no staring off into nothing at your wall, no.
(05:20)
Step number four would be self-compassion. We have to remember to speak to ourselves with kindness. Let me tell you something, everyone in our life will come, and everyone in our life will go unless we die first. But there's one person that will continuously be with you for the rest of your life, guaranteed. And that's yourself. So build that relationship with yourself instead of saying, I should have done better try. I'm doing the best I can with what I know. And here's the key to that. Make sure you do the best you can with what you know. And if you don't do the best, well try your hardest. That's all we can ask for. When you start to view stress as a guide instead of a burden, you stop reacting and start responding. This turns stressful situations into opportunities for growth. It's not about eliminating stress.
(06:21)
It's about building resilience. Each stressful moment holds a lesson that if embraced makes us stronger. More self-aware guys, stress is a messenger, not an enemy. When you listen to the lesson you grow, when you don't listen well, when you manage it intentionally, you thrive. Thank you so much for tuning in to the Mr. Mind Podcast. If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone that might need a reminder that stress has a purpose. Also, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review, but most importantly, that very last person that you send a text message to, can you message 'em and ask how their day is going? Ask how their night is going. Ask how their morning is going, because you never know. They just might need it.