Stress- it comes in all shapes and sizes, from a meeting with your boss to someone cutting you off in traffic to paying bills and getting to your child’s soccer game on time. Our bodies come equipped with a very well made evolutionary protocol for dealing with stress. The only problem with this is our stress cues, like those mentioned above, have changed much faster than the way our bodies process stress.
In the past (think hundreds to thousands of years ago) when humans were faced with stress it was do or die stress- the kind that comes in the form of a lion chasing you down or a bear trying to take the game you’ve just hunted for dinner. Fight or flight is what comes to mind for most of us. And while not all of us have experienced actual scenarios requiring such a high stress response, we’ve no doubt experienced the adrenaline rush and flood of hormones in the aftermath. Again, that meeting with the boss or being cut off in traffic can easily elicit a response that leaves our hands shaking and our stomachs doing flip flops.
The real problem arises not when we have just one of these high stress responses, but when they are occurring in a chronic fashion. Stress releases cortisol, which is definitely something we need to have. Cortisol is responsible for getting us going, and it’s an important player in a healthy inflammatory response. It helps regulate blood sugar and blood pressure, and and metabolizes fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
In the same way that a terrible diet can lead to chronically high cortisol, so can stress. Most people are familiar with cortisol as the stress hormone, and for good reason. Any sort of stressful interaction raises your cortisol levels, and chronically raised cortisol can in turn lead to the chronic inflammation that is at the root of so many diseases.
Sometimes we simply can’t avoid encountering stressors, as many of them are simply a part of daily life. What we can do is take measures to recover from these stressors, and allow ourselves to move into a resting state.
Find time to be in nature. Simply breathing fresh air, being exposed to sunlight, and touching the earth can completely alter your mood. Being exposed to sun can also help increase Vitamin D levels, and Vitamin D is
an integral part of a healthy stress response and recovery.
Meditate. Sometimes this is hard for us to tap into, but there are some great apps available to lead you into your meditation. Calm App or Headspace offer guided meditations daily on your mobile device. Most yoga studios also offer meditation classes, and once you get the hang of it, you can practice this on your own.
Ditch your device. We could all use some time being unplugged. Devote a couple hours each evening before bed to read a book or stretch or hang out with your family, and do it in a space where there are no screens to preoccupy your mind.
Enjoy some music. Whether it’s playing music, or singing, or listening to your favorite music. Music can help us get in touch with ourselves, help us set aside other parts of our day, and really allow us a place of freedom and focus.
Try a yoga class. If you aren’t already a practitioner, seek out a basic level class. There are many different types of yoga, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t love your first class. The focus on breath in yoga is perhaps the most important part when it comes to calming high cortisol. Constant flowing breath will almost always reduce stress.
Journal and reflect. Yet another great way to really dial into yourself is to set aside 10 to 15 minutes to journal and reflect upon your day, your week, or just how you are feeling in that moment. Sometimes getting started can be tough, so giving yourself a specific reflection helps. One that many people find helpful is “Today I am grateful for…”.
Whatever it is that you do to reduce your overall stress, make sure you are scheduling this time every day. Whether it’s exercise one day and meditation the next, it’s important to partake in this self care daily. When we fall behind on taking care of ourselves, it becomes difficult to be efficient in the rest of our daily duties, leading to more stress. Staying consistent is key in reducing stress, just as it is in other healthy habits like diet and exercise.
