5 Ways to Tame Stress & Get Back to Living

Is Stress Running Your Life and Relationships?

Stress, this small word is having more of an impact on your life than you think. Stress reduces our ability to respond to life events in constructive ways. It also increases blood pressure, anxiety, and fear. Additionally, stress increases confusion, decreases motivation, and exacerbates emotions such as anxiety and depression. Stress might have you feeling like your life is a gigantic game of whack-a-mole. Activities like work, relationship, and parenting become so overwhelming you feel like giving up. If you want to gain empowerment over stress and get back to living the life you desire watch the video below and consider some of the five ways to tame stress and gain the upper hand over the pesky moles.

Watch this Short 4 Minute Video To Understand How Stress Affects Your Brain

5 Ways to Tame Stress

Breathing

Find some time to breathe. When our heart rate elevates we lose the ability to assimilate incoming information and brainstorm ways to approach conflict. Breathing will help soothe the physiological response of feeling flooded and allow you to be more present and engage more authentically in life. Some of my clients have found deep breathing applications on their phones and report noticeable stress reduction and ability to focus after practicing deep breathing.

Exercise

Exercise has been shown to help reduce chronic stress and allow for clearer thoughts. Most people look at exercise as a chore and this will also increase frustration and defeats the purpose. Find a program you enjoy and want to participate in. Options include, a personal trainer, walking with friends, spin class, crossfit, yoga, hiking, swimming, I think you get the idea. Try different options and find something you like.

Nutrition

I am not a nutritionist but, research shows when we are hungry we become tired, sluggish, or as some say “hangry.” Being hungry is also associated with increased anxiety or lethargy. Next time you are frustrated ask yourself, “What have I had to eat today?” or “When was the last time I ate?” Track your insights, you might be surprised at what you find.

Touch

This seems counter intuitive to how we handle stress. Typically people cope by isolating or internalize distress. However, have you ever felt better after getting a hug? Have you ever reach out out to hold someone to give reassurance? I bet it felt pretty good. Furthermore, participating in activities such as massage therapy has been shown to reduce stress and reduce depressive symptoms, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health. Massage also reduced the number of weekly headaches in chronic-headache sufferers. Touch is a powerful tool against stress.

Pay Attention to Your Thoughts

If you find yourself constantly ruminating about distress there is little room for anything else. If things are not going well in life at the moment, maybe think of a time when they were, focus your attention on positive things or memories and couple this with deep breathing and compassionate thoughts for a quick break from stress. Then write down your experience to help be aware of the changes you might experience.

Make a Plan

If you are anything like me if it is not written down or scheduled it doesn’t exist. Make a commitment to practice stress reduction. Write it in a calendar, tell friends, or your partner about stress reduction and find an accountability partner. Identify small daily goals you can accomplish helping you feel better about taking care you to help feel better about life. If you want to find out more ways to work though stress you can contact me and together we can explore how we can restore your heart, restore your relationships, restore your life.