Let’s Talk About Stress
Simple ways to help you reduce stress in your life.
We’ve all had to deal with stress at some point in our lives. From moving to a new home or dealing with a pressing deadline at work, stress can show up in a variety of different scenarios. Stress is a normal reaction that is hard wired into our systems as a way to protect us from danger, but when did it become a way that we define ourselves? When stressful situations arise, our sympathetic nervous system triggers our fight/flight response so we can be equipped to either run away or take action. While this response can be very useful in certain situations, with so much information overload and living in a fast-paced world, many of us have gotten used to continuously living in this state.
The issue is that our bodies don’t know the difference between stress from running from a tiger or work-related stress. While short term stress can be useful, long-term or chronic stress can lead to health problems and cause burnout. It has been said that stress can be linked to 99% of diseases and illnesses - CRAZY right! Read on if you want to learn more about the science behind stress and ways you can reduce it in your everyday life.
So what happens in our body when your sympathetic nervous system is turned on?
Once our body is in fight/flight response, your brain triggers your adrenal glands to produce the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. This then sends signals to the rest of your body and begins the chain reaction that can cause your heart rate and blood pressure to increase, sweating, dilated pupils, digestion to turn off and blood sugar to spike. Your body will try to return itself to a state of balance (homeostasis), but usually will stay in fight/flight if the response is triggered too frequently. This affects our sleep, weight gain, irritability, aging and even lowers our immune response making us more susceptible to getting sick. Eventually, if we stay in this state for too long, we will experience what is commonly known as burnout, as your emergency resources have been depleted. Your body can only stay on high alert for so long!
Yes, that’s right, stress is related to weight gain (especially weight around the belly region). Our bodies have two options for fuel - they can either burn fat or burn glucose (sugar). When we’re in this fight/flight response, our bodies turn to glucose first because it is faster burning. If we’re getting chased by a tiger, we need energy QUICK!
I know you’re thinking, well that’s great to know, but how do I get myself out of this fight/flight state?
Your parasympathetic nervous system also known as rest/digest state turns off your sympathetic nervous system or your fight/flight response. This rest/digest state is where all the healing and magic happens and your body is able to relax, heal, restore and conserve energy. In today’s world, many of us don’t spend enough time in this state so finding ways to help your body return here are key.
Ways you can reduce stress and activate your rest and digest system:
Nix the Caffeine (I know I’m sorry!)
This is a big one if you are looking to get your nervous system back into balance. What happens when you drink caffeine is that it signals your body to make more adrenaline, which sets off a cascade of other biochemical changes in your body. I know it gives you the jolt and energy to power through those tasks, but it also triggers the fight/flight response and in turn, creates even more stress.
*If you're looking for coffee alternatives check out my shop page for suggestions!
Low impact movement like walking, restorative yoga or tai chi
While high impact cardio and workouts are great, they can also increase the amount of cortisol your body produces causing you to stay in fight/fight. Incorporating slower and low impact movements are recommended to activate your rest/digest system to allow your body to restore itself.
Deep belly breaths or diaphragm breathing
Have you ever caught yourself breathing short breaths from your upper chest? This type of breathing is driven by stress and adrenaline. A great way to bring yourself back into rest/digest is by taking simple deep belly breaths from the diaphragm. This signals to your body that you are safe and it’s okay to relax. Place your hands on your diaphragm just below your belly button and give it a try for a few minutes.
Meditation
Taking a few minutes out of your day to catch your breath, recenter and practice mindfulness can really be a game changer. I recommend trying 5-10 minutes a day for two weeks and seeing how you feel. Apps like Headspace, Insight Timer and Calm are great ways to get into meditation with guided and visualization meditations.
Creating realistic to-do lists and weekly schedules
I know in the world we live in, we are constantly adding things onto our daily to-do lists and it just seems to be getting longer each day. I’m with you! It can be helpful to bundle or categorize your tasks based on importance to help you see where you should spend your time today and what can wait until tomorrow. This can help you from feeling overwhelmed and even more stressed and breaks up your tasks throughout the week. You can even go a step further and schedule in time for each task into your calendar - even setting aside time for a bubble bath or self-care!
Create a clean and calm environment (home and work)
Spend some time decluttering the spaces you spend the most of your time in to create a calm and peaceful environment. Clearing out things that no longer serve you or that you no longer need allows space for more creativity and productivity to flow.
I hope this helps you on your journey to living a less stressful and more joyful life!
Warmly xo
Gill
your coach
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