Tips for managing and reducing stress naturally

Stress is an inevitable part of our everyday lives and is the one thing that we all deal with from time to time.

By definition, stress is your brain’s response to any demand from a change in your lifestyle. This could be a physical stressor like an injury or exercising too much; or it could be an emotional demand from changes in your lifestyle, relationships, finances, etc. Stress i basically anything that demands your physical, mental, or emotional energy.

Stress is neither a good or bad thing. Though stress tends to be viewed as a mental health concern more than a physical one, there are actually many ways chronic stress can negatively impact the body physically. Extended release of stress hormones (cortisol) can impact our health and bodies in a multitude of ways including:

Hormonal changes

Decreased immunity and ability to fight off or heal from illness

Changes in weight, increased fat storage and disrupted hunger cues

Poor digestion, stomach cramps, reflux and nausea

Increased blood pressure, heart rate and risk of heart disease

Loss of libido and reduced fertility

Mood issues, including anger and depression

Fatigue and trouble sleeping

Stress can clearly bring about serious havoc on our bodies but having said that, we actually need stress to a certain extent because it is the body’s natural defense against predators and danger. For example, if you were running from a bear, you would need your stress response to kick in full force, causing the body to release and flood with specific hormones that trigger physiological changes that in turn provide you an increased physical ability to run or defend yourself, as needed.

Cortisol isn't always the bad guy and can be perfectly healthy and helpful in real emergencies; yet high levels of it over time will contribute to those mentioned health impacts, especially the abdominal weight gain. The challenge is, our nervous system cannot tell the difference between real and perceived danger so there will be a problem when we’re actually not in danger and our bodies are living in that state chronically. Therefore, the key to reducing stress is by learning how to turn off that heightened stress response when it’s not needed.

Though there may not be much we can do to remove the underlying causes of modern stress, there are many effective methods that can be used to reduce our experience of stress and improve our ability to cope with it. Below are some of the things I practice in order to manage stress:

1. Take a moment and Breathe

Next time you’re feeling stressed, take a minute to notice your breath. It will most likely be very shallow and fast paced. In this situation, take a deep breath and count to five when releasing your breath in order to center yourself and slow down your breathing. Taking just five slow, deep, controlled breaths will help your body to get the oxygen and blood flow that it needs in order to be able to step out of that “flight or fight” mode that stress causes. Try slowing down to monitor your breathing the next time you’re feeling stress and see if you notice a change in your body and mental state.

2. Sleep well 

We've all heard this one before and it's so true - you can’t pour from an empty cup. Good quality sleep is an essential part of your overall physical and mental health, and it’s particularly essential for building the resiliency needed to manage and cope with stress.

Unfortunately, people who are chronically stressed often have a tough time sleeping well—they are either having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.

Waking in the middle of the night is typically caused by too much cortisol in the bloodstream. Cortisol levels naturally peak in the morning to wake us up, but too much can lead to an early peak and premature wake-up call.

3. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness (or mindfulness meditation) is sometimes thought of as a solution for stress—while this is certainly a lovely thing to do during stressful times, mindfulness actually works even better as a preventive tool.

A regular mindfulness practice (even if it's just five minutes a day) when you’re not already stressed can do wonders in keeping your stress levels down and improving your resilience when stressful times do come around. It doesn’t have to be ritualistic, instead it can just be a walking meditation around the garden or outside, or maybe even focused thinking in your car while driving. If the thought of meditating is completely new to you and you aren’t quite sure about it, try out the Headspace or Calm app to support your meditation. Guided meditation is always a great way to get started, and you’ll start to see benefits as soon as you start practicing.

You may also have come across mindfulness colouring books as they have become pretty popular recently for relieving stress and anxiety. They work by helping your brain get into a meditative state, calming your mind and bringing it into the present moment.

4. Staying Active

Having some form of movement each and every day is not just part of a physically healthy lifestyle, but also a mentally healthy lifestyle.

Regular moderate physical activity (like walking 10,000 steps a day) helps to combat stress both immediately, and over the long-term. It's also worth knowing that sweating via exercise is one of the most effective methods of removing excess cortisol from your bloodstream.

5. Eat Well

There is more and more evidence showing how the food we eat impacts our mental health, including our ability to manage and cope with stress. Therefore, maintaining a healthy and balanced diet full of fresh whole foods and limiting inflammatory foods (such as sugar or processed foods) can help to give your body and mind the best fighting chance to handle tough times.

6. Practice gratitude.

Check in with yourself daily about the things that you’re grateful for, rather than what you wish you “had”. If you have a journaling practice, try incorporating gratitude into your journaling time. And if you don't, no worries. It can be as simple as writing a list of 5 things you’re grateful for in the morning. Try it out and see if you notice a mental shift away from stress and towards positivity and gratitude. 

7. Last but not least, have fun!

In today's fast-paced and busy society, we can sometimes forget to have fun and enjoy ourselves. Engage in activities that make your mind, body and spirit completely joyful; whether it's taking the time to go for a walk, talk to a friend, watching your favourite TV show or be out in nature, etc. No matter how busy life gets, remember the importance in making time for those things in order to allow yourself some fun and joy!

How are you managing stress? I'm interested to know how you are handling life’s stressors so let me know in the comments! I hope that this post has given you some ways to manage the stress in your life, or at least reminded you of ways to re-center yourself when things does get a little too overwhelming.

Stay happy and healthy, stress less! 

With love,

*Medical Disclaimer: The following content should not be used as medical advice or as a recommendation for any specific supplement or medication. It is important to consult your health care provider prior to starting a new medication or altering your current dosage.