Dealing with Stress
We all have it. Stress. Let’s break it down and see what we can do about it, shall we?
Where does stress come from?
Unfortunately, a stressors can and does come from anywhere. They are both intrinsic and extrinsic. Real or Perceived. And it is different for everyone as we are all different human beings.
A couple sure stressor from external sources; air pollution, toxic chemicals in our skincare and personal care products, the foods we eat that our bodies can’t digest properly, nutrient deficiencies from eating food lacking in nutrients (or our bodies lack of absorption), the constant notifications and blue waves from TV and electronic devices.
There is physical stress that we endure if we have and injury or illness. Also its physical activity, pushing our lungs, heart and muscles to their limits.
Now let’s move on to the perceived stress or feeling stress. We all have this too its just the levels in which we are effected by the stress is different. We feel stress when endure when raising a family, tending to loved one, or encountering toxic individuals thought-out our day. That boss that gives us too much work, we have deadlines to meet and not enough credit for a task you performed or the neighbor down the street that is saying bad things about you to other social circle members…..whatever it is, there is a component of dislike in your spirit that causes pains in ourselves.
So you have it, great, you’re stressed. Now what?
Oh lots of things! And good news is research has shown that these techniques not only help to have you feel better (less stressed) but there are positive benefits inside the body too!! Rates of recovery from illness are drastically improved, the family unit run smoother, people are healthier and most importantly, your stress response and subsequent biochemical reactions all run so smoothly.
Step 1 AWARENESS
This, I have found, is the biggest key to combat your stress and stress response.
Being aware of how you are feel at a state of rest and then noticing the differenced when you encounter stress/stressors. Now I know this step is not easy. It has taken me a lot of time to really connect with my body and myself.
How to become aware? This should be reserved for a whole own post but you can start by keeping a journal. By remembering your feeling throughout the day and recording them on to paper lets you connect to hoow you feel. From there you gain your awareness.
Even if you don’t have this awareness you can follow the suggestions below.
Step 2 Take Action
What can I do about it?
1). Breath. Take a Deep breath. Seriously as simple as that sounds, in the moment of stress it can seem useless, however source after source, and report after report confirms the positive benefits of breathing techniques to combat our stress responses. The best breathing is deep, diaphragmatic (aka belly breathing).
Why? Deep abdominal breathing encourages a full expansion of your lung oxygen exchange which then slows the heartbeat and lower or stabilize blood pressure.
How to: Stop where ever you are, what ever you are doing and focus on your belly. take one breath normally. Then on your next breath, deepen it. When you inhale do it continuously while thinking of expanding your belly as wide as it can go. hold your breath for 2, then exhale slowly thought your mouth. Pausing for 2. Now repeat the cycle until you feel in control.
Sit or lie flat in a comfortable position.
Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other hand on your chest.
Take a deep breath in through your nose, and let your belly push your hand out. Your chest should not move.
Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling. Feel the hand on your belly go in, and use it to push all the air out.
Do this breathing 3 to 10 times. Take your time with each breath and notice how you feel at the end of the exercise.
Another way I’ve sort of learned to do it is to match my breath to the waves of the ocean. To me the ocean current/tide is really the earth breathing. And I try to connect to that breath with my breath. The vision of calming waves tends to help calm my mind too. Try it and let me know how you do.
Once you’ve mastered this simple breath you can move on to a practice of breathing. Some examples are 4-7-8 breathing, one-minute breathing, Lion’s Breath, and other kundalini yoga breathing techniques, maybe just getting into meditation practices. Thing is you can explore lots of different techniques to see which one works best for you.
2). Move. Movement is such a powerful tool in coping with stress. Getting our heart rate up, releasing pent up energy, stretching our muscles and connecting with our bodies. What is the best movement? Whatever you can do easily, often and has you feeling well. This could be as simple as walking for 20 minutes. Sure if it could also be running or weight training, swimming or playing a game of basketball. Again, do whatever you can that has you connecting to yourself and feeling better.
Why? It has you engaged in something that distracts you from your worries. You are just focusing on the task at hand and therefore making a pause in your stress response cycle. You reduce levels of your stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, “natural painkillers and mood elevators.“ Not to mention the vast behavioral benefits when we engage in consistent physical activity, especially if we have a fun time doing it, like when we listen to a good song or playing a game. Not only do we have more strength and stamina but also more body control, pride in accomplishment and increased self-confidence.
How to: Make a plan to fit this into your day. Maybe take a walk in the morning with your family. Maybe you need to wake up before the house does and exercise on some fitness equipment you own. Or throughout the day have music playing and when a song catches yourt attention you break our some moves. The key is to make it a priority. Don’t push it off because often when we push it off, it doesn’t happen.
Just find something that you can do easily, that you enjoy, and that you can do often.
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What I’ve learned really helps me is to make the time to move every morning. It’s a part of my morning routine before my kids wake up. I notice that when I don’t do it early, it’s harder to fit it in later. And I don’t limit myself to just one modality but rather enjoy a variety of movements; Walking, Spinning on my Peloton, Yoga, Running, Skiing, Dancing, Soccer…..laughing and playing with my kids.
3). Journal. Getting your frustrations out on paper vs keeping them swirling around in your head is SO POWERFUL. I can’t say enough how much this practice has helped me connect to my thought patterns and identify trend in my behaviors. You’re documenting your experiences, you’re recording your thoughts and feelings. Someone once told me that when we write down whats in our head it has to travel through our hearts before its released. Boy has this resonated with me and there is power in that.
Why? Anyway we have to release emotions, negative or stressful, allows you to move on past them to a happier state of mind.
“Journaling is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time.” ”
How To: 1. Find time in your day to collect your thoughts. I find the evening right before bed works best for me. 2. Just start writing. Anything, how ever it comes out. Don’t judge yourself and thing “I’m not doing this right” because there is no wrong way to journal your thoughts. Some people like prompts and here’s a few:
What was something good that happened today?
What was something that bother you today?
What was your favorite memory of the day and how did it make you feel?
What was a challenge you experienced in the day?
Who did you encounter today?
What are 5 things you are grateful for?
4). Optimize Your Nutrition / Bodily Functioning. This is one that people I encounter have the hardest time with. The idea that the foods they are consuming could be causing harm to their bodies is still a very foreign idea. Thankfully, more research is emerging and the awareness of this potential risk are becoming more and more accepted. I don’t want to stand on a soap box here but the food we’re currently being exposed to are not the same as 30-40 years ago. Heck they aren’t the same as they were even 10 years ago. The majority reason is from
Our soil is lacking nutrients, resulting in fruits and vegetables that are less nutrient dense.
Higher populations require a higher demand on farmers to produce and they have taken measures to ensure their crops are successful, using genetically modified seeds, pesticides and fertilizers that have altered the plant cellular structure. Preventing proper digestion when we consume them. Anything that is not recognized by the body as a nutrient is viewed as a toxin and toxins cause stress responses.
Our livestock has endured similar strains on meat and milk production resulting in an overuse of antibiotics and hormones in their food products. Introducing external hormones alters our bodies ability to metabolize it.
The FDA does not have strict enough limitations on what ingredients manufactures are allowed to use and how they label their products.
Genetic mutations have happened to your DNA that limited your bodies ability to tolerate certain foods. AKA food sensitivities or allergies. or that your body consumes more of any one nutrient than another
Or a combination of any of the above.
Why? Our brain, body and mind are all connected. When our bodies aren’t performing their best, they can’t handle stress as they normally could because they do not have the biochemical and nutritional resources to handle the chemical reactions that take place. The interactions between the brain and the body are limited and inefficient resulting in an ongoing, hyper or hypo active stress response.
How to: Limit commercially grown produce and live stock. Stick to organic and wild fish / pasture raised poultry /grass fed beef. Identify what foods could be causing disturbances in your overall health (the most common culprits are gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, sugar, peanuts, legumes and corn). To accomplish this I recommend an elimination diet in conjunction with a detoxification period. Or if you’ve got an extra 5 grand around you could undergo a barrage of testing to identify your specific food sensitivities. Also become aware of your personal care product ingredients. There are lots of hidden chemicals/toxins there too!
5). Supplement with Herbs & Adaptogens. Never herd of them? Well, adaptogens are herbal pharmaceuticals that help your body, adapt.
Why? Adaptogens work at a molecular level by regulating a stable balance in the hypothalamic, pituitary, and adrenal glands. These are involved in the stress response. They work by “hacking” the stress response in the body.
The most well known/researched Adaptogens:(See image but also)
Arctic Root or Rose Root
How to: Brew them into your tea or use powders and add them to your smoothies. There are even pill forms available in most health food stores.
Personally I enjoy the benefits of them them in my my morning tea and my evening tea. I have lions mane and a 10 cordyceps blend in the morning and in the evening its reishi and ashwagandha. I really feel the evening reishi and it relaxes me especially when I’ve had a lot happen in the day.
6). Minimize your Exposures - Change your perspective. As mentioned above there are ways to limit your food/dietary/physical exposure. But the one another way to deal with stress is changing your perspective around what is causing us the stress. First take a look at yourself. What happened and what is the source of the stress. Was it what someone said to you? said about you? Is it something that maybe you had done to another person? Examining our own behaviors is a great window into learning what is the true culprit of stress. If you feel justified? Maybe this is someone you need to start avoiding in the future.
Maybe it’s just trying to see other peoples point of view, giving more people the benefit of doubt. Having conversations is the most effective toool in reliving stress. I know I know this can be viewed as another stressor but know that you holds a lot of weight in these feelings. And by communicating them you release them. For example, you have a tiff with a friend. Every subsequent time you see your friend you get yourself worked up in a stressful situation. By approaching your friend and expressing what is causing you to feel “off” you are thereby going to release your stress. Or rather the emotions that are causing you to be stressed. Easier said than done but in the long run, there is so much more benefit in releasing these emotions than holding on to them. Maybe its not that easy, but maybe it is? How about your boss? Don’t feel like you are being treated justify, who can you communicate this to? HR? Maybe you need to just have a conversation with your boss about the way you feel you’ve been treated. Often times people are not aware of how their behaviors effect others. Perhaps its your leaders blind spot, an area they can learn and grow from. If they are a good leader they will be open to
Why? The only person you are hurting when you hold these emotions is you. If you don’t want it to bother you then take action to do something about it.
How to: I suggest first being in touch with your feelings after practicing journalling. Approaching a person that is causing stress in your life by speaking primarily on how you feel. Do not make accusing statements like “you do this and “you did that” but rather speak gently with “i” statements. ex. I feel hurt that you don’t send a thank you for the present I worked making for you.
Please note I am not a psychologist. I am only speaking from personal experience when dealing with other people that cause me stress.
Auditory & Video Resources for Stress I find helpful:
https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend?language=en
Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.
“Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is regarded as one of the most influential doctors in the UK and wants to change how medicine will be practiced for years to come. He hosts the biggest health podcast in Europe, Feel Better, Live More, which Apple has announced as one of the most downloaded new podcasts of the past year. His first book, How to Make Disease Disappear, is an international bestseller all over the world and has sold over 250,000 copies worldwide in just 18 months. His most recent book, the #1 bestseller, The Stress Solution, tackles what the WHO calls the health epidemic of our time—stress.“