Stress is inevitable and is bound to show up in our lives in one way or another. It’s likely you will experience the effects of stress from time to time, but when the stress levels begin to build and happen on a regular basis it’s time to identify the causes of the stressors.
There are different types of stress and everyone reacts differently. It could be as simple as starting at your toddler as they go into a melt-down because they didn’t get what they want or bouncing from email to email at work with a ton on your to-do list, it can even be a confrontation with a spouse, family member, or friend.
Notice the feeling that is created in your body when you experience stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Think back to a time when you were the most stressed. What was happening? What thoughts were you having? What did it feel like in your body?
When we can start to notice the cues our body sends us through stress signals and identify what that feeling is we can start to observe the causes of the stress.
Digital Detox
Perhaps, you find it overwhelming scrolling through social media and the constant comparison. You feel an irritation in your body, your heart starts pumping faster, and you feel your breath is shorter than normal. These are physical symptoms appearing from the source. There is a physical reaction happening. An easy way to negate this feeling is to cut off the source. For example, stop scrolling through social media. Give yourself a digital detox and in return, you will find a stress detox.
Work-Related Stress
Let’s examine another cause of stress – work-related stress. Now, as much as we would like to take short work weeks and more vacations, most of us need to work for a living. But there are ways to handle the stress when it arrives on your desk. By practicing certain breathing methods, mindfulness, and strengthening your meditation habit you will begin to find yourself less reactive and flooded with overwhelming thoughts that activate your stress response. Try to get down to the detail of what is causing the irritation, overwhelm, or anxiety. Do you find yourself feeling tired and exhausted because you didn’t sleep well? Are you working without taking breaks? Are you drinking too much coffee? What is your mindset like? Do you tend to look at things overly optimistically or be skewed by the negative perception of life? Find what you can remove, change, or alter in some way. By noticing the contributing factors that lead to work-related stress you may be able to make minor adjustments to improve your day-to-day job.
Let the Stress Out
Yin-Yoga is a wonderful way to release built-up emotions that are stored in the body, supine twists will help release toxins by massaging the internal organs, and hip-opening poses like pigeon or frog will get into those much-needed areas of release. Try practicing before you go to bed and when you first wake up.
Deep Breathing
When we are stressed we tend to hold our breath, taking short, shallow breaths with a decreased exhale. In order to activate the parasympathetic nervous system that turns on our relaxation response deep breathing needs to become prominent. Start by taking a breath in for a count of 4. Holding for a count of 2. And then exhaling for a count of 6-8. By lengthening the exhale repeatedly you will naturally find more ease in the body and mind. Breathing deeply is a wonderful way to release the stress hormones that build in the body such as cortisol and adrenaline.
Get a good night’s sleep
Researchers have shown sleep increases brain function and the ability to problem-solve. It is important to have a good quality night's sleep of at least 7-8 hours in order to feel your best. Life becomes more stressful when you are tired and can’t think straight. This can also have a profound effect on the other areas of your life – helping you make healthy choices and be more aware.
Journal + Gratitude
Writing your thoughts out is a well-known way to release stress. Often, thoughts circulate in the mind. Continuously finding a loop and creating challenges of resolving the issue that is causing you stress. Get out a pen and paper or write in a digital journal and get all of your feelings out. A term called “rage-on-the-page” gives the writer 10 minutes of free time to just write whatever comes out when you are experiencing a deep-felt emotion. As you write imagine releasing the emotion. You don’t have to go back and read it unless later on you would like to examine your feelings and dive deeper. Follow up your journal writing with a gratitude reflection in order to bring positivity back into your mind. Journaling is a great way to vent and gratitude is a great way to nourish yourself from within.