Habits and Hustle - Episode 292: How to Deal with Stress Caused by The Hamas-Israeli War

Episode Date: November 10, 2023

When the world seems to be crumbling around us, stress management can be difficult. If your stress levels are high and you’re neglecting stress management, it’s way too easy to push your self care rituals and productivity to the side. Don’t worry, you’re not alone – I’m feeling it, too! That’s why in this solo episode of Habits & Hustle, I provide tips and advice to help you cope and manage your stress in the simplest ways possible. What we discuss:  1:00 - Why it’s difficult to manage stress while the world is crumbling around us 3:00 - Why it’s important to address stress in less conventional ways during these times 4:00 - Why leaning into community right now will save you 6:00 My top tips for dealing with stress right now Find more from Jen:  Website: https://www.jennifercohen.com/ Instagram: @therealjencohen  Books: https://www.jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I got this Tony Robbins you're listening to Habits in Hustle, Crescent. Before we dive into today's episode, I first want to thank our sponsor, Therisage. Their trilight panel has become my favorite biohacking thing for healing my body. It's a portable red light panel that I simply cannot live without. I literally bring it with me everywhere I go. And I personally use their red light therapy to help reduce inflammation in places in my body where honestly I have pain. You can use it on a sore back, stomach cramps, shoulder, ankle.

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and use code B bold for 15% off any of their products. Well, I think if any topic is important right now, given what's happening in the world, it's tips for stress management. How to manage stress when the world is basically crumbling around you? That's how I feel anyway. Shani, what do you think?

Yes, I have not really managed anything properly at all. I think I did some art therapy the other day that was the sort of first self-care move that I've done this whole time, but I just don't even know. People keep saying take care of yourself and I just keep thinking like that's insane. I know, I think, I, listen, I think it can be really difficult

when are right now, especially I think it's been very melancholy, people are depressed, people are super anxious, which is for good reason. And mired in really negative, horrible things. So how do you take care of yourself? Because listen, if you're not taking care of yourself, you're gonna be unable, I mean, and this is the truth, like you're unable to be productive

if you have family, if you've got kids. I know that's what I'm dealing with. I have two small kids and it's really hard with my head is somewhere else dealing with the war, dealing with tapping in Israel, and the vitriol that I've been dealing with on social media because I am speaking up. It's been like really, really stressful.

I've been much more anxious and low than I really normally would be. And it's a lot. And I did notice that I think it is really important to still maintain healthy routines and habits so you can even show up strong. And you're no good to anything. Any cause you're trying to fight or point you're trying

to get across if you are weak and unable to really kind of like function. So I want to talk about a few things of what I've felt were the key tips for my own stress management and hopefully they can help you. I know Shani really had a great one that she's going to talk to you about, but actually why don't, Shani, why don't you first talk about what you've done? Because I think it's, I think it's a great one and I think it's not that it's unusual, but I think that I, people know what I'm going to say. Right? Let's go with yours first and then we can circle back to me. So I mean, personally, I'm big in self-care on an average day, like with

skin care and all that stuff, but I just can't bring myself to do any of that right now when it's just been too much, but something that I really love to do when I'm going through a lot of trauma is art. And I just felt like I had to get something down onto Canvas, and I was talking to another friend of mine the other day, and we were talking about how creation is the opposite of destruction. It is literally the antithesis. It's just that it's one of the best ways

that you can cope with destruction. And we're dealing with so much devastation and so much loss, and so to create anything, whether it be literal life, like so many mothers are doing right now, or an art piece that can help you sort of express everything that's going on, I think is really powerful and important.

And I tied it into spoken word, which by the way, I recorded while I was painting. I just got an inspiration for something that I wanted to record, and I started recording that while I was painting to get my emotions out. And together, it ended up being a really beautiful piece of both the painting mix with the spoken word

that I felt like even though I have been expressing myself so much with words every single day, it needed more. It just needed more to be able to express like this is the pain at which I'm feeling. I felt like it was so necessary for my grieving process. And I think that helped a lot. But everybody has their own thing. I just feel as if this concept of creation

in a time of such destruction can be so powerful and so important. So whether it's like baking food or creating new relationships or friendships, which I think a lot of us are doing now. We're all talking about all the friends we're losing, but I have made so many incredible friends, and I'm signing off every phone call

with people I have met for two seconds with, I love you. I love you so much. Stay safe, be okay, be healthy, be well, go hug your family. And it's just like that concept of, you know, sure we're dealing with a lot of loss but man, are we dealing with so much creation?

So if we can funnel our emotion into that side, I do think beautiful things can come out of such a devastating time. I love that answer. So before we started this podcast, I said to Shani, I think we should really do a solo on tips for stress management because I think a lot of people would like to hear, even they know it through common sense or instinctually. Sometimes people need to be reminded of what they can do to help manage their stress. And she says to me, I don't really want to do one on stress management because I don't

really care about that right now because I'm not doing anything. So it's all you today. I'm like, okay, I guess I will. And then she says, well, I guess I could talk about my paintings. Jenna, it takes me so impromptuly. I like it. I did not say that. But yes, I did guess I could talk about my painting. Jenna imitates me so improbably. I like it. I do not say that, but yes, I did say I definitely don't want to. Because I don't feel like dealing with stress in the ordinary way,

like getting good sleep, doing things, whatever. When friends are dying, is the right kind of stress management. Well, listen, I started this podcast by saying, I think because most of us who are really mired in what's happening right now on either side, I think it's a nice reminder what you can do for yourself to kind of take care of yourself and your mental state, but you weren't having it. No, I wasn't having it at all.

Not what I was saying. But my point is, I think the tip that you gave, which is painting and creating, is a unique one. And I love the messaging and meaning behind it, because to me, it's like the correlation between loss and creation and what you're doing in that process, I think that was really beautiful. Thank you. No, I do. And also, I wanted to say something else.

Like, I agree with you. It's actually interesting how, for as many, I may have lost, I wouldn't say friend friends. I would say people that were pseudo friends on social media. I lost real friends. I'll get to them a second. But I'm saying things. Like people that I was fairly friends with in like my work life, you know, that might definitely lost you up. But I mean, what I find interesting is you end up like gravitating to people who are super like minded to you when you are really authentic. And that's what I found has been happening. Like the more truth I speak, on what I believe to be my truth and the right, the how I feel. I didn't say the right, the way I feel. You know, a lot of realness and truth, like truth comes in that moment. Like you end up meeting

people and talking to people and creating relationships with people that are really aligned with who you are. And you kind of end up like, you get rid of the fodder and the people that you really have nothing in common, I guess, at a core level with and find your real people. That's how you actually find your real tribe. I know these are like very like hashtag worthy words like finding your tribe. But truthfully, when you act in purpose and you act in authenticity and you do that over and over and over again, you will meet people who are similar in that way. And the people I've met too,

like I've met some amazing people that I otherwise would have never had a chance to meet. And so actually my first tip for stress management is really forming community, like real community with people that you really like and love and respect and want to be with and socialize. I think that is the number one stress management. Oh, I guess I have been doing that. Right?

Yeah. one stress management. I have been doing that. And I think that supersedes overrides anything else right now because that feeling of belonging and unity is the most important thing. And I think that like takes down my court my cortisol level probably it will take down your quarters all level yours to when you speak to spend time with a communicate with people that have that same passion with where you are. That's my that's right my number one tip yours is painting plus probably community selling a little or a lot. Shopify helps you do your thing however you you're judging. Shopify is the global

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promo code hustle. Wait, that's such a good one, by the way. You know what? I didn't think about self-care in the way that you're thinking about self-care. I thought about self-care in the classic habits in hustle, which is like the stuff that I can't bring myself to do right now, but you know what, Jen, you're right. Like all of these things are actually so important,

and I've actually even been talking about the community stuff, like how important it being around, being at events has been for me, and that's the, so I love this episode now. Exactly. She went from hating it to actually like really liking it. So I think community, I think painting or finding a creative outlet is a great one. And I want to, I have to say this because I really do,

I so much of what I, I'm about and at my core is about movement and exercise and there's for good reason because it really does help shift and change your mood and your ability to kind of be present. And to me, I have to always include that. So if someone, if you, I'm going to say to you, Shawnee, or anybody listening, if you have kind of let that piece of your routine go, like not exercising, not moving, add it back in. Even if it's just walking, taking a walk,

getting fresh air, I think all of those things really change and tweak your mood in a real way. And I think that's really, I mean, I can go into the obvious one, sleep, blah, blah, blah, but I'm not going to. Okay, that's actually a question I wanna ask you right now because sleep has been such a thing. Last night I think was probably the first time

I got real sleep. I woke up at 10 a.m. I couldn't believe it. Oh wow. Yeah, I went to bed at 2 a.m. woke up at 10, that's the longest I've slept this entire war. I have not gotten that kind of sleep this whole war

and it was literally insane. You know what's happening to me is that I have to make a mental unconscious effort to get off of my phone because it is a total rabbit hole. Like I will at night I'm like oh I wonder I'm gonna see what's going on. I'm not, you know, any new information and an hour and a half can go by or two hours can go by. And then your brain is so revved up, it's not tired. And I'm like, then I'm up. And I do think that making conscious efforts to create timers where you could be on your phone and spending your time doing those things,

like timing, like those timers make a big, big difference. I can really help enhance your, not just your mood and your well-being, but also make you get you back into productivity mode a little bit, because I know I can go days like I have where I'm just so mired and what's going on, I just can't get anything else done. And like, again, if you have kids and a family, like you have to, you have to be present and, and get shit done. And you can't do it when your cortisol's raised so high.

So I think those are really great things. So it may be incorporating exercise or movement back into your schedule, make that a priority. And for those who haven't done that at all, I think that's a great one. And we said that like social community and what did you say? Hating and creative and art. And we said that like social, community, and what did you say? Hating and creative and art.

Yeah, it was. And we can go into it on another podcast, Data Rabbit Hole, all the other modalities you can do. But I think for where we all are right now in the world, those are really great ones to start with. Yeah, I know. It's not overwhelmed anyone with too much more on a scene. By the way, walks have been a big thing for me.

They really do make a difference, especially if I can't bring myself to workout, just doing like getting some sunshine, getting some air. Yeah, nature. Wow. Nature's a really important thing. Again, I'm not telling people they have to pound the weights.

I mean, although I believe we all know what I believe about working out and is training so important, but if that's too much for you right now, just take a walk outside, get some fresh air, change your environment, change your mood, makes so much difference. And do it with a friend so you can kind of kill two birds with one stone. You can socialize and move at the same time, which is a great way to also build community. I want to leave you with this, you know, someone was saying to me the other day, what they do is they get a group of friends together once a week and they go on these like group walks.

Oh, that's cute. And like that way you can socialize, but also get your steps in, move your bodies, and it's been great for their stress levels. And I wanted to kind of offer that as an opportunity for you guys to maybe think of doing that with friends and family. And that's basically where we'll leave it today. Have a nice one. This episode is brought to you by the YAP Media Podcast Network. I'm Holla Taha, CEO of the award-winning digital media empire YAP Media, and host of YAP Young & Profiting Podcast, a number one entrepreneurship and self-improvement podcast where you can listen, learn, and profit.

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