By Schuyler Corrigan

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July 5, 2022

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Stress has many ways of manifesting itself throughout your body, whether it’s through digestive issues, frequent headaches, anger or behavioral imbalance, or even high blood pressure – there’s no denying that stress impacts our quality of life on a daily basis. Very often, we are unaware of what is really at the root of our stress, and how much control we have over this. We are not always helpless in addressing how we respond to stress, and there are some mindful practices to address how stress impacts our body – and how we can redirect that stress to work for us, and not against us. Here are a few ways stress can show up in our body, and how we mindfully adjust our behaviors to balance this. 

 

1. Reassess your workouts. High-intensity exercise is biologically stressful on your body. Yes, it does also have positive benefits, however, if high-intensity exercise (HIIT) is your primary form of daily or weekly exercise, this may be causing your stress response to be heightened too often without appropriate rest days to recalibrate. Incorporate restorative exercise into your routine so that your body becomes accustomed to a slow stress response while moving and exercising. Restorative yoga, gentle walking or swimming, or a fun climbing session may be worth including in your weekly routine. 

 

1. If you suffer from chronic anxiety, you may notice that your thoughts can get away from you, leading you into a spiral of self-induced anxiety. This increases your cortisol (stress) response, decreases your digestive function, and constricts blood flow throughout your entire body. You will frequently feel yourself “tense up” when this happens. This is where mindfulness practices and breathwork can redirect the stress response from overwhelm to recalibrating your nervous system. When our stress response is high, we are flushed with nervous synergy. That constricting energy can instead be directed towards our breath, opening up our senses and allowing for more oxygen to fill our body. This relaxes your nervous system and gently calms the mind. 

 

 Read more: The Vagus Nerve 

 

1. Pay attention to your sleep habits. Before falling asleep, many people are scrolling on their phones or watching the news – two activities that inevitably increase our alertness and stress response. When we are mentally alert or feeling stressed by the news, it’s very difficult for the body and nervous system to unwind enough to sink into quality sleep. Instead, if you’re feeling wired or stressed and want to “unwind” before going to sleep, turn OFF the screens and facilitate that stress to leave your body through gentle exercise and stretching, journaling, or taking a warm bath or shower. This puts you in the present moment and more in your own body, allowing you to be mindful of your thoughts and process them prior to sleeping so that your body can reach a deeper state of rest. 

 

Read More: Back to Basic – How to Realign your Wellness Habits 

 

1. Sometimes we are in such a heightened state of stress continually that we’re not even sure where it’s coming from. Traffic, deadlines, financial pressures, family dynamics, health issues, or academic stressors – if things are accumulating in your life that are causing you stress, take this as an opportunity to define them, and direct your energy appropriately. Make a list of every single thing that knowingly causes you stress. Nothing is too small or big to add to this list. Now, divide this into two lists – “Needless” and “Essential”. Needless stressors are those things we could intentionally get rid of. For example, getting stressed and angry about traffic, re-thinking the stressful coworker conversation from the day before, or things that are essentially out of your control. Everything else that you could not reasonably get rid of tomorrow, keep that on the “Essential” list. Now, choose one stressor from the “Needless” list, and focus on addressing and removing that stressor each week. Notice when it comes up for you, and practice letting it go and approaching it another way. Every week, choose a needless stress, and cross it off the list. This will help you conserve your precious energy to intentionally focus on those stressors that really need your attention. 

If you’re noticing that stress is impacting your quality of life or health overall, check in with us and consider making an appointment to see one of our naturopathic doctors. We would love to help you balance your life and wellness in a way that works for you, sustainably and positively…