What Is Your Stress Language?

Remember the trendy book about identifying your love language? Just as people have diverse communication styles and ways to profess their love for someone, we also exhibit distinct responses to stress, which can be termed as our “stress language.” This includes how you perceive, interpret, and respond to stressors and comprises emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physiological components which all reflect your unique coping mechanisms and vulnerabilities.

As empaths, many of us are very susceptible to stress, sometimes ours and sometimes that which we pick up from others and the environment. Through self-awareness, reflection, and targeted interventions, individuals can cultivate resilience and navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and adaptability. Embracing one’s stress language empowers individuals to not only cope with stress but also thrive amidst adversity, fostering holistic well-being and personal growth.

According to Chantel Donnelly, therapist and stress researcher, there are 5 stress languages:

• The Imploder: This is a “freeze” response to a stressful situation. The imploder may feel hopeless, helpless and paralyzed.

• The Exploder: This is a “fight or flight” response to a stressful situation. This person may have an inflated reaction to a stressful situation; they might get irritable, frustrated or angry, or even leave a situation that they can’t handle.

• The Fixer: This reaction is typically how women express a stress response. This can look like appeasement, people pleasing, overstepping boundaries and even “mothering” people who aren’t your kids.

• The Number: As in, a person who numbs themself to the outside world when things aren’t going well. This person usually uses escapism ― such as drugs, alcohol, online gaming, overworking or overexercising ― as a coping mechanism for stress.

• The Denier: This is someone who possesses toxic positivity in response to stress and can be overly optimistic to avoid reality.

As always thank you for being part of our community of listeners and we hope you have a low stress week!