There is no escaping it. At some point in your day you will be met with a stressor. Or many stressors. Really anything that feels triggering for you can elicit a stress response in your body and brain. Some stress is ok, especially acute stress that comes and goes quickly.
We are built for that. If we encounter a person or situation that feels stressful to us, our brain especially the amygdala, a small almond shaped part of the limbic system, sounds the alarm to danger or even potential danger or threat. Once that occurs, we are off and running and our body will start cranking out stress hormones.
The kind of stress that really takes a toll mentally, emotionally and therefore physically, is chronic stress. The boss that is relentlessly demanding. The intimate partner that is mean spirited, condescending, or demanding. Dealing with a difficult toddler or teenager can feel stressful for some. Stressful situations or people that we feel triggered by lead to chronic stress- actually distress- and if we don’t find a remedy for our situation it can take a toll manifesting in chronic sickness or disease.
We need some stress just like we need some level of anxiety. It keeps us alert. Some stress known as Eustress can be good in that it means we are learning, growing or trying something new. However, to the body, stress is stress is stress. The body will react the same with stressful signs and symptoms whether we experience distress or eustress.
Since we all cope with stress and stressful situations differently, it is important to tune inwardly and notice the signs of your distress.
Common signs include:
Holding your breath or breathing more shallow. This often happens without us even noticing it. When we breathe shallow, we are not taking in enough oxygen to help our
bodies feel and function well. When we breathe deeply, especially in through our nose and exhaling out of our mouth, we allow ourselves to be much more oxygenated and it helps to slow down our emotional brain thus causing us to feel less stressed or anxious.
Tightness in our chest or shoulders. Many people’s posture will change when they are feeling stressed out. Look for hunched shoulders or head or neck being forward. It is important to be aware of posture all the time but especially when stressed.
Tightness in muscles, commonly neck, shoulders, or back. We all carry our stress in different parts of our bodies. Many people also carry past traumas in their bodies as well. If we have not dealt with our trauma wounds it is likely that in general life feels more stressful.
Sleep or Eating changes. Often when we are stressed out, we may have a hard time falling or staying asleep, or we might notice that we either eat more often than usual, or for some, less often than usual.
Any or all of these can be signs of stress. When left unchecked, or when we tell ourselves a story that “this is just the way it is,” then we really can cause harm to our body.
Chronic stress is associated with a depressed immune system, accelerated ageing, depression, anxiety and more.
Want to manage stress better? Here are some ideas to adapt as a lifestyle preventative, so that you will be better able to cope with additional stress when it shows up.
1. Eat at regular intervals and eat closer to nature and further away from the factory. Fueling our body at regular intervals allows it to function best. For most people eating every 3-4 hours helps regulate blood sugar which keeps our mood from taking those big dips. Steering your diet towards the mediterranean diet as a lifestyle can allow you to have great immunity, energy and can help with feeling resilient.
2. Find a way to move your body often. The more we move these bodies, the better life, health, energy and stress management goes. Whether you decide to walk, jog, do yoga, play tennis, swim, bike, hike, or lift weights, the more your body will stay strong, flexible, and the more happy neurochemicals will hit the brain. Exercise is great for mood and energy in addition to the obvious physical benefits.
3. Create a strong support system around you. Who are the safe and supportive people in your world? Who can you call to say I just need to vent, or I need some advice. Who can you text and invite to coffee one afternoon a week? We need safe other people to not feel so weighed down by the demands and stresses of life.
4. Engage in your spiritual world. Whether for you that means go to church, or a bible study, or to wake up daily and be open to what God has planned for you, it is important to lean into faith, especially when experiencing extra stressful situations.
Stress is here to stay. Relationships can feel stressful, as can our job or our businesses. Having and raising children is stressful at times. Getting bad news can feel stressful. It is important to not dismiss it, but rather, understand how stress affects you individually.
Make a plan using the above guidelines and start planning what suggestion or idea you will do first. Add that in your calendar, and then be sure to do it.
You can learn to be resilient no matter what life throws your way when you are intentional to practice healthy stress reducing habits every day.
Comments