Managing Stress - Part 5
Lifestyle
What you eat is helpful for recovery…but it’s in this section we’ll be talking about the many things you can do to help manage your stress reaction day-to-day.
These techniques can help you change your relationship with stress, allowing you to move out of the stress state easier. Unless you’re dealing with an anxiety disorder, you can train your body to handle stress in a more relaxed way.
(and if you’re dealing with an anxiety disorder, professional help can be enormously helpful)
Exercise
Do you remember the deer story from Part 1? One of the ways our body resets our stress hormones is by running away from the stress. In the deer story, it was their run that helped them get back to that calm state.
Most of our stress happens when we’re sitting down, like in front of the computer. Our body doesn’t get the physical release it needs when the stress hormones start flowing. This is why exercise is such a good stress-buster.
Any movement is helpful, but it’s particularly good if you can sustain it for 15 mins. A walk, run, or hike is great, anything that gets your heart pumping. Being in nature (aka Forest Bathing) is extra good at reducing those surging stress hormones.
Can’t get outside? Climb some stairs quickly (or as quickly as you can do it safely). Or, if you live in a condo, walk the halls (and add the stairs if you feel comfortable).
The key is – MOVE! I take a lunchtime walk anytime I can to relax my nervous system. It really helps!
Hate Exercise?
I recently heard a theory about why some people feel very uncomfortable when they exercise and really struggle with it.
Many people feel calmer and more relaxed after exercise and those endorphins are what inspire people to exercise more.
Others find the stress hormones that are released during exercise so uncomfortable that they’ll do anything they can to avoid feeling them. The theory is that the uncomfortable feeling stems from a traumatic event in their past. The stress hormone surge is an uncomfortable reminder of that past event. Usually, this is all in the unconscious so they don’t actively remember the trauma…they just have a drive to avoid feeling that way.
If you’d like to learn more about how past traumas can affect exercise and other forms of self care, check out this article. It’s written from a health coaching perspective, but it’s filled with some very interesting insights:
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/how-trauma-affects-health-and-fitness
Paced breathing for 10 – 15 mins
Deep belly breathing is a great way to calm your nervous system. If you struggle with meditation, this can be an easier method. It can even lower your blood pressure! Use this technique anytime you’re feeling stressed or anxious, or incorporate it into your daily schedule to create a deeper sense of calm.
Study on Paced breathing and blood pressure:
How to do it:
1. Find a quiet spot without distractions. Set a timer so you can just fall into the practice without checking the time. If 10 mins feels impossibly long, start with 5 mins or even 1 min. Start with what you feel comfortable with.
2. Get comfortable (sit or lay down)
3. Put your hand on your belly, focus on breathing from your belly (this becomes easier with practice)
4. Take a deep breath in, slowly counting to 5 as you inhale
5. Hold gently for 1 second
6. Slowly exhale, counting to 7
Repeat. Inhale (1-2-3-4-5). Exhale (1-2-3-4-5-6-7)
If your mind wanders (which it will), let go of the thought once you notice and go back to counting.
If counting to 5 & 7 makes you feel like you’re suffocating, start with: Inhale (1-2-3), exhale (1-2-3-4-5). Slowly work up to the longer counts.
Rest & Sleep
I’m a HUGE napper and I sleep in any time I can. I want you to know this because I want to normalize rest as much as we’ve normalized being busy. Rest is a much more natural state for our body than constant busyness but as a culture we’ve demonized rest. So, I try to talk about my naps and long nights of sleep not to brag but to help normalize it.
Every single moment of rest & relaxation is healing for the body. This can be a quiet 5 mins when you’re waiting for something in your car or taking a nap on a Saturday afternoon. Celebrate every moment of quiet relaxation.
A few little tricks to help with rest:
- Find something restful that you really enjoy (hot bath, a walk in nature, reading a good book) and then schedule it into your day/week. Do what you can, even 5 mins is a win!
- Notice if you reach for your phone anytime there’s a quiet moment (I’m very guilty of this). Could you close your eyes and take a few deep and relaxing breaths instead?
- Take a social media break. I did this recently and it was WONDERFUL! Social media is a part of my business, but I found myself checking it anytime I had a momentary break. It was stealing my rest-time! For 1 weekend I decided not to check Facebook or Instagram. Truthfully, there were many times I reached for my phone automatically but turned it off anytime I caught myself. And, I found that over those few days my mind started to relax. It was nice to take a break from that constant stimulation.
- Prioritize sleep and sleep hygiene. If you struggle with sleep, check out our Sleep Masterclass
The Importance of Mindfulness
My mindfulness practice has rewired my brain in a very good way. It’s given me a route to calmness that I can find any time I want.
Mindfulness exercises are beneficial the first time you do them, you don’t need to practice them for years to feel a difference. I noticed a huge difference in how I felt throughout my very busy days within a few weeks of meditating for 20 mins 2x a week.
These practices are training for those stressful days. We practice quieting our mind in calm moments so we can quiet our mind during stressful times. It’s practice.
There are many different mindfulness techniques. There’s meditation, moving meditation like with Qi Gong yoga, and Tai Chi, and walking meditations.
Wrapping things up
There’s one thing I want to leave you with – managing stress is something that can be done in small steps and small moments.
Don’t create more stress by trying to work in everything in this masterclass into your day. Just choose one thing that stands out to you. Try it out…then try something else.
I used to be a frantic hurricane that sped through everything in my life without enjoying anything. Now I’m a calmer hurricane (it’s important to embrace your nature :). My days are now much calmer and focused, which means I get more done in a shorter amount of time. This gives me many more hours of downtime :). I also find myself happier and laughing more…because beautiful moments are in the present and I missed out on them in my old frantic days.
Being able to be present didn’t happen overnight, but I began to get moments of calmness quickly when I started. Like with healthy eating, your body will celebrate with you on every little step <3.
If you have any questions, jump to our private Facebook Group or the Ask Lisa page :)