by Carmen Gilfillan (UK)
Depending on who we interact with, our relationships with others can be a source of immense joy or debilitating stress. Joy if it’s a life partner with whom we have a great relationship, debilitating stress if it’s someone who intimidates us, and in whose presence we feel under threat. For some of us, we may even feel stressed in any social setting.
The stress we experience is a physical response in the body designed to keep us safe from “threat”. That threat could be relatively minor. It could be the way someone looks at us, the thought that someone is judging us or the prospect of losing face in front of strangers. However, depending on how we interpret the threat, our physical response could be akin to us being attacked by a stranger in a dark alley.
That physical response to a stressful situation (like meeting someone for the first time) can include us breaking out in a sweat, heart palpitations, butterflies in our stomach… and if we are on standing in front of a group, a blank mind.
Source: iCN Issue 25 (Career Coaching); pages 41-43
About Carmen Gilfillan
Carmen Gilfillan is an emotional health consultant, owner of the Leicester-based wellness practice, Stimulus, and specialist in wellness and personal growth.
As an Emotional Freedom Therapist, Reiki Practitioner, Life Coach, trainer and speaker, Carmen facilitates personal growth and wellbeing workshops, is a keynote speaker and a member of the Association for the Advancement of Meridian Energy Therapists. Having overcome many of her own anxiety and fatigue issues using the tools she writes and speaks about, Carmen is now an associate of chronic fatigue specialist organisation, The Chrysalis Effect, and combines her Life Coaching and energy-healing skills into her flagship health and wellbeing programme,
S.W.E.D.E.N™. www.stimulus.uk.com
