Stop Stress with 8 Take-Control Tips To Feel Calmer Instantly
During this year of the pandemic, everyone seems to be struggling with too much stress. That is probably why you are here. You maybe noticing the negative effects it is having on you and you are seeking some relief. In this blog, I will share with you what stress does to your body, stress symptoms it causes, and 8 tips on how to take control of your stress so you feel calm and relaxed.
The Difference Between Acute and Chronic Stress
Dealing with stress is a normal part of life and your body knows how to deal with it. Your Autonomic Nervous System will stimulate your sympathetic nervous system causing stress hormones to be released so you can either fight, take flight, or freeze. Once the stress is gone then your nervous system will stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system for rest and digest. Normally this back and forth system between stressing and relaxing ebbs and flows.
The problem happens when you are in a chronic state of stress and the sympathetic system gets locked on and you no longer flip back into that parasympethic mode. Over time your nervous system gets taxed and starts causing lots of symptoms due to all the stress hormones constantly being dumped into your body.
Chronic Stress Symptoms That You May Experience
Once you're in a chronic state of stress, your adrenal glands, which secretes stress hormones get locked on causing your sympathetic nervous system to become dominant and those stress hormones are going to start creating not so fun symptoms for you like...
easily irritated, anxiety, depression insomnia craving sugar and comfort foods weight gain hypertension heartburn, bloating, loose stools/diarrhea tension headaches fatigue no sex drive, sexual dysfunction menstrual dysfunction, infertility frequent colds/flus hair loss
If you are experiencing any of these negative effects from too much stress, the time is now to take positive action. The goal for you is to be as super healthy when the seasons do change and fall-winter approaches. Stress will wreck your immunity and leave you very vulnerable, which we don’t want to have happen.
8 Stress Management Tips To Help You Relieve Stress And Feel Calm
Here are 8 stress relief tips to help you get back into parasympathetic mode of rest and digest: 1. Nature and more nature Taking a relaxing walk outside will do wonders especially barefoot to absorb the electrons from the earth, which is called grounding. Research shows your brain gets out of the negative feedback loop and lowers stress hormones. Let nature help you reduce stress by going outdoors for 20 minutes. 2. The news! And social media! There is way too much negativity out there, which is a huge trigger for releasing stress hormones. Even if you skim it and don’t read it, your brain still sees it. Your brain is wired to find the negativity. If you must see what’s happening, give yourself a time limit. Don’t expose yourself first thing in the morning or before bed. Try to counter it with lots of positivity. I recommend cute animal videos. I have made a commitment to a very limited time of news and avoiding social media over the weekends and evenings. 3. Get support and talk it out or write it out. Emotions that we bottle up will make us sick and is a cause for disease. So get the emotional support you need. 4. Deep breathing When you are in stressed state, you actually breathe shallowly. Deep breathing will trigger the vagus nerve which will then stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system.
Try this breathing exercise:
Slow inhales for 6-8 seconds, hold, then exhale for 6-8 seconds and hold. Repeat as needed. If you are experiencing digestive issues, this is an excellent technique to get you in parasympathetic mode so you can properly digest and get the most out of your nutrition. 5. Meditation and yoga These are excellent practices to incorporate and help you get into a Zen state. A patient told me about this meditation app called “Ten Percent Happier”. You might to check it out or search of other apps that might be useful. 6. Essential oils Love me some aromatherapy. Something as simple as lavender can do wonders. They make some awesome blends, so find one that resonates with you and gets you in the mood. 7. Ear Seeds and acupressure If you missed it, over on Facebook I did a 7-day challenge using ear seeds to reduce anxiety and stress. Huge difference! It has been 2 weeks without them and I’m still feeling better (as long as I continue avoiding the news, lol). To learn more about ear seeds, check out
Best Treatment For Chronic Stress
8. Acupuncture and herbal medicine If those tips aren’t doing the trick, then let’s get you in for an acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture resets your nervous system, stimulates the feel good hormones that leave feeling calm, and can reduce any stress symptoms. Chinese herbal medicine is known to support your adrenals and has calming effects on your body as well like Ashwagandha.
I hope you find this blog helpful and take action now. Try at least one of the 8 tips to help you reduce your stress so that you can feel better. No matter what life throws at you, you can take control on how you feel and how it impacts your health. Just start with taking a deep breath. You got this!
Everyone is in need of some extra care right now and I’m here always if you need anything. Don’t hesitate to reach out.
In good health,
Stacy
PS-If you are stressed and not sure if you need to take the next step then I recommend emailing me for my How Stressed Am I Survey. This survey is super helpful, because you will assess a baseline on where you are at with stress and if you need to take a more progressive approach before stress causes any further harm.
#chronicstress #stressrelief #acupuncture #treatmentforstress #stresssymptoms #stresscoping #managestress #earseeds #mediation #yoga #forestbathing #grounding #essentialoils
Ashwagandha and stress:
Research on grounding:
Acupuncture and Stress research:
Acupuncture and PTSD
Acupuncture and IVF infertility stress
