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You finally have ten free minutes, so you reach for your usual reset. A walk, a podcast, a cup of tea. Afterward you feel about the same, or a little worse, and you wonder why it isn't working anymore.

Here's a possibility: the activity was fine, but it was matched to a different kind of stress. What helps when your mind is racing is rarely what helps when your body is run down or when you're craving connection. Stress shows up in more than one way, and so does what it takes to meet it.

In my conversation with Cassandra Martin-Himmons, a licensed social worker and certified stress management consultant, she shared a simple three-question check-in: Notice, Need, Next. Here's how it works.

1. Notice what's happening.​
Check in with your mind, your body, and your emotions. Racing thoughts? A tight jaw? Irritability? Putting words to what you're experiencing is a useful step in itself. In a well-known brain imaging study, labeling an emotion reduced activity in the amygdala, the brain's alarm center (Lieberman et al., Psychological Science, 2007). The effect is modest, but it's a free place to start.

2. Name what you need.​
Cassandra describes five types of stress, each with a different kind of support:

• Mental overload (racing thoughts, indecision): a brain dump or one small next step
• Physical tension or depletion (fatigue, headache): movement, rest, or food
• Emotional depletion (irritability, tearfulness): comfort, permission to feel, or a boundary
• Overstimulation (too many inputs): stepping away from your phone or clearing some clutter
• Social disconnection (loneliness, withdrawal): reaching out or asking for support

You may notice more than one. That's common, so start with the one that feels loudest.

3. Choose the simplest next step that fits your time and energy.​
Ten minutes and low energy? Pick something that fits that. The goal is enough relief to handle whatever comes next, and it doesn't need to make everything wonderful.

4. Build a toolbox, not a single go-to.​
Having two or three favorites is a good start. A longer list gives you something to choose from when your usual option doesn't fit.

Try approaching your stress with curiosity instead of judgment. Ask what it's trying to tell you, rather than what's wrong with you. This is the heart of how I think about productivity: your systems and routines should respond to the day you're actually having.

If you'd like to learn more, check out Episode #335 of the Positively Living® Podcast:

>> Listen to the podcast here​

>> Read the blog post here​

One shift, practiced before the pressure peaks, is more useful than five strategies you only remember when you're already maxed out. Start with what resonates and keep building from there.

💜

Lisa

Other Resources

The Thrive Through Perimenopause & Beyond Summit started October 6th. In this free event, you'll have access to 25+ experts talking hormones, metabolism, brain health, sleep, and more — including my own conversation with our host, Kristi, on How to Actually Get More Done: The Productivity Shift Perimenopausal Women Need to Know.

>>> Save your seat here: positivelyproductive.com/ThriveSummit26​

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