Last week was stressful. I was preparing for a trip, solo parenting while my husband was traveling, balancing the launch of Wellness with Britta and caring for my kids, all while trying to stay committed to wellness practices. Stressful moments seemed to show up every day. I expected this, but as the week went on the stress felt like it was lasting longer as I became more tired. I had to do some reprioritizing of what was going to get done and schedule more time for sleep. Managing stress can take time and resources and there are ways to help your stress management that are free and that take up little time.
Why is managing stress so important? Can't I just power through? I use to take this approach often and then I started getting sick - my immune system, my digestive system, my mental health were all weakened and exhausted.
Stress isn’t just unsettling. It is a direct link to inflammation in your body. When you are stressed your body can release the hormone cortisol. Optimal cortisol factors are necessary for maintaining many of your health factors, like sleep and metabolism. If your cortisol levels are consistently high and persistent (i.e. you don’t ever relieve your stress), it can severely impact your overall health, including increasing inflammation and weakening your immune system. Life is busy, demanding, and another stressful situation is likely just around the corner. The key is managing your stress so you can function with healthy levels of cortisol in your body. Here are four free ways to reduce stress that take only a few moments:
Move your phone away
I feel it right when I pick it up. My phone sends a rush of anxiety through my body every time. Whether it is the news I’m reading, social media, an email I have been putting off, it feels like there is never a shortage of things to stress about right at my fingertips. Most days I handle it well. I set specific times for checking news feeds, sending messages, and getting work done on my phone. Other days, it feels like I’m on it all the time. On average, we check our phones 260 times a days. I feel my stress rise just reading that
One easy way to give yourself a break from the phone, is to move it out of your room at night or at least away from your bed. I hear you countering this with every excuse – you need to hear if it rings, it is your alarm clock, your charger is by the bed. You will hear your phone from the other room, I promise. You’ll hear the alarm and you’ll hear the person on your emergency contact list calling if they have an emergency. And as for the charger, plug it in elsewhere. Here’s the question that really got me thinking on this. What is the last thing you touch/see before you go to bed at night and what is the first thing you touch/see when you wake up in the morning? If it is your phone, please give this a try. When you pick up your phone first thing or have it with you right up until you fall asleep at night, you deprive yourself of the few moments between sleep and wake that can feel stress free. These moments make a big impact when it comes to your stress and cortisol levels for your day. This means it makes a big impact in the amount of inflammation in your body and the difference between sickness and health.
Find where stress shows up in your body
We all carry stress differently in our bodies. For example, I tend to feel a lot of anxious energy in my hands. Common places that may tense up or feel energized when you are stressed are the stomach, shoulders, eyebrows/eyes, jaw, and chest. Sometimes you may feel this energy in multiple places at once. Starting to identify where your body fires up when you are stressed, can help get right to the root for settling these sensations and managing your cortisol levels. The next time you feel like you can’t shake your stress, stop what you are doing, stand or sit still and feel where in your body your attention shifts. If you are breathing heavy and feel tight in your chest, you’ll know that your lungs and chest are where stress can show up in your body. Once you’ve identified a space, you can send calming breath and energy right there when you need to settle down. Yoga poses and meditations done intentionally for these areas make a big difference, as well. Even the simple practice of paying attention to your body will calm stress on its own. Knowledge is power and the more you know your own body, the more power you have over feeling well and managing negative stress.
Find some hope
Do you have a friend who is healing or recovering from an illness or disease? Even if they are just starting to feel better or having a good day amongst other not so good ones, there is hope in this. Do you know a child that is growing leaps and bounds every time you see them? There is hope in humans blooming into their potential and changing as quickly as kids do. Spend a moment in awe of the hope of childhood. Seeing a tree during any season is a sign of hope. It shows that plants know how to cycle through a year, allowing themselves the space and time to bloom, flourish, prepare, and rest when appropriate. There is hope all around us, even when we feel like there is much despair alongside of it. That is part of the human condition and yet we seem to focus more on the hardship than the hope and this causes persistent and dangerous stress. Take time to notice the small things that are signs of hope and you may just feel a sense of calm. There’s even hope in that.
Learn something new
This one takes just a few minutes of your time, but it is fun and may give you something to talk to your partner/friend/dog about the next time you have a minute. When stress is prevalent throughout my day, I often pause and allow myself the time to learn something new. It doesn’t need to be complicated and it can be anything that interests you. Maybe it is looking up an unfamiliar city on a map that intrigues you, a new fact about animals or the meaning of a word or phrase. Learning something new is correlated with happiness and well-being and improves cognitive function. Our brains are wired to be attracted to novelty and learning new things can override other sensations of stress and worry with something happier and calmer resulting in different hormones being released into your blood stream and your body feeling entirely different. It only takes a few minutes and of course you can find so many new things right at your fingertips. Just put the phone away before bed.
Interested in working with me on stress reduction? The practices I believe in and teach are the pillars for fighting inflammation and stress, leading to a healthier and happier you! To learn more about my programs in meditation, nutrition, fitness, and other mindful practices like the ones above - get in touch with me. I'd love to know about your wellness journey.
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