I recently wrote about Stress stacking. Stacking is externally applies pressure which can cause a human caving under the layers that it creates.

Stress blooms are individual stressors that linger under the earth for as long as they can stand it. This bottoms-up approach, like spring bulbs showing up from the dirt, mulch, leaves and rocks, occurs when we hold down our own needs as we get all the other things done. Blooms are the first signs of the stress iceberg underneath. First, your panic pokes out of the ground like a gopher after being underground. Do you notice a sudden turn of events can bring about headaches or sleepless nights? It’s rarely one event, but a series of minor stresses that can create a stress bloom at any age or time of year.

When you think you have it all figured out at home or work, suddenly you can find yourself crying for help. Stress blooms are sneaky just like the warm winter days that tease the springtime temps and activities. Overwhelm or anger or depression might seem to be at bay and then, WHAM, it hits like a spring monsoon. The gush of internal stresses outward eurupt in anger, tears or gut upset.

Stress bloom check ins:

//Are you ignoring physical signs of hurt that pop up once a week(e.g.,rapid heart beats, low breathing, headaches)?

//Are you having emotional swings at the same time of day (e.g.,layers of stress start to fill you up)?

//Are you feeling the need to be alone for long periods on the weekends (e.g.,stress depression)?

//Are you wanting to be with people constantly (e.g., avoid feeling)?

If you answered Yes to 2 or more of these questions, keep reading for solutions to your stress sprout.

The frosty to do list often nips at the wintertime stress trying to find the warm sun rays. Most underground stress is self-actualized or suppressed stress. Perhaps you try to reduce your winter stress nips with a bit of wine or a call to an old friend for a vent session. After these timeouts, you can feel the overwhelm retract each day evening. This pattern can repeat itself for weeks or months as you keep everything just below the surface.

Until, one morning, on the same path you commute every day to work or school, there is a full spring hyacinth, or in my case, a maturation of stress so thick, that if it was a tree, it would be a giant redwood. Your suppressed overwhelm can only hibernate for so long.

Stress can creep in like a spring day that is sunny, no clouds and mid 70s while you are walking in your winter parka.

Here are 3 tools to avoid your Stress Bloom:

Self check ins- Reiki has taught me that a body scan twice a day can be life changing. Where am I? What is about to happen? Am I excited about this or is it going to be a lot of work for me to stay calm? Knowing what is head that day or afternoon can help me mentally and physically prepare with a workout, writing time or breathwork.
Communications - I have given a workshop many many times about communication styles. Knowing how you communicate and how your loved ones and coworkers need to hear things is critical to your success
Team or family check ins- I don’t know if we learned much in covid considering how much is on our plates again in 2023, but my family still has the ‘is this necessary” calendar checks multiple times a week. This is easy to do at work. What can we push off, cancel or do as an email or 15 min call? Sample calendar checks sound like, “Do you want to attend this function, do you have enough together or down time, what does next week look like and is this the right time to be going to that meeting?” This is a fast prioritization exercise that I see most of my clients, friends and families around me forgetting to do.

Humans are really adept at taking on tasks, accomplishing a lot and also bringing on stress. Avoid a spring stress bloom. I’m curious about where you feel this bottoms up overwhelm as we enter the Spring Equinox.

What have you noticed about stress coming from within your gut, heart and body? What is often the root cause of this stress bloom?