Consideration Inflammation: Your stress may start in close relationships
BOOKS, published at DenOffentlige.dk
17/09/2024 12:04
J. Bøgen
Stress has become a widespread issue, and many might argue that our work life is the biggest culprit. While this is true in many cases, stress does not originate solely from work. It can also begin in close relationships.
Perhaps you are familiar with taking excessive responsibility and prioritising others’ needs over your own?
This concept is known as consideration inflammation, and there is reason to believe that many of us can relate to it.
Mette B. Lorenzen, a recognised cognitive psychotherapist and mindfulness instructor, addresses the issue of consideration inflammation in her latest book, The Dead Privet Hedge. She brings new insights and practical tools to the table, guiding readers on a journey toward inner leadership.
Lorenzen has personally experienced how the combination of life circumstances and consideration inflammation can lead to both stress and chronic pain. In recent years, she has written about and worked with well-being and stress prevention.
“I dream of breaking the stress curve. I want to help create more well-being, calm, energy, balance, and presence for individuals. A stress-free life and how to achieve it is close to my heart. Because I have personally felt distress and stress, it matters even more to me. If I can help others avoid visiting ‘Stressland,’ it makes me happy,” says Lorenzen.
An Invitation to Inner Leadership
In The Dead Privet Hedge, Lorenzen expands the focus beyond work-related stress to view and understand stress as something that also arises in other areas of life. She challenges the perhaps slightly taboo topic that relationships—including close ones—can sometimes be a source of stress. She emphasises that it is necessary and compassionate to be able to prioritise oneself and set boundaries in relationships.
“I want to help others identify what is truly important to them and give them the tools to get there,” she explains as her motivation behind the book.
With chapter titles such as:
- “Can You Fix Yourself?”
- “Are You a Dandelion Child?”
- “You Cannot Pay Other People’s Bills?”
- “Are You on a Bus Ride with the Wrecking Man?”
- “Breaking Up with a Friend”
- “Do You Use Your Intuition? Does It Work?”
she encourages readers to set healthy boundaries and find balance between their own well-being and being there for others.
Lorenzen describes her own journey toward better self-understanding and stress management:
“I had to look at what I carried with me and clean it up,” she explains. Her approach underscores the importance of understanding and processing one’s own background to create meaningful change.
From Insight to Action
The Dead Privet Hedge serves as a toolbox filled with practical methods and exercises designed for both professionals working with clients and individuals seeking a way out of consideration inflammation. Lorenzen includes mindfulness exercises, cognitive therapy, and inner leadership techniques to help strengthen one’s inner core and promote self-leadership.
The book introduces methods to identify which relationships are beneficial and which primarily drain your resources. The goal is not to distance oneself from others, but rather to reflect on and navigate the relationships we maintain. In doing so, one can achieve a more balanced and stress-free lifestyle.
About the Author
Mette B. Lorenzen is a certified cognitive psychotherapist (MPF) and a mindfulness instructor (MBCT). She has been certified in MBSR in Mind-Body Medicine by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Over the past 10 years, she has trained with Saki Santorelli, co-founder of mindfulness.
Based in Odense, she provides stress prevention and well-being courses for companies across Denmark. Mette is also the author of the stress book The Frog in the Pot.
The Dead Privet Hedge is published by Hoi Publishing and can be purchased here. Learn more about Mette B. Lorenzen on her website.