Stress Colors Everything…
—But it does not have to take you down!
Stress can be caused by multiple things: work, relationships, finances, nutritional choices, news and/or social media, unprocessed emotions, poor sleep quality, vigorous exercise, comparison, negative self talk, toxins, trauma, pain, illness, and more. It can be acute (generally lasting 3 months or less) or can become chronic (longer than 3 months). It can feel draining and overwhelming when you feel like you are on a stress loop, with no end in sight. Individuals will respond to stressors differently, meaning what is stressful for you may not be stressful for me; or a combination of stressors may be what wreaks havoc on your system vs. one minor stressor. Even “good” stress (such as getting married or starting an exciting new job) can impact the body negatively, as our bodies don’t necessarily process “good” stress separately from “bad” stress.
The bad news? The impacts of stress are far reaching, hampering digestion, immunity, hormone balance, the state of our nervous system, weight, and more. Ultimately, it causes a number of physiological changes that result in elevated cortisol and inflammation. It can often be the tipping point that leads to disease processes such as high blood pressure, cancer, autoimmunity, anxiety/depression, chronic fatigue, diabetes, obesity, and fibromyalgia.
The good news? There are many wonderful holistic practitioners available such as, Tranquil Journey, to partner with you to help with stress management. There are choices we can proactively make to minimize stress or how it effects us. We can choose to decompress regularly via exercise, dance, time in nature, journaling, getting a massage, going to counseling. We can shift our perspective and choose to let go of perfectionism, become more flexible instead of rigid, live in the present vs. worry about the future or have regret over the past. We can choose to get good quality and quantity sleep, eat fresh whole foods, minimize alcohol/caffeine/processed foods, hydrate well with water. And we can work on creating boundaries, healthy relationships, minimizing screen time, and developing regular practices such as meditation/breath work/yoga/somatic work that can help us alleviate/reduce our stress. Tranquil Journey is proud to offer a Stress Relief Bundle to assist individuals seeking an effective way to reduce stress and improve their overall wellbeing.
Here is a short list of some of our most underused tools that can help reduce stress and improve health; they are easily accessible, often free, and require minimal time/effort:
Sunlight
Nature
Sleep
Exercise
Meditation
Laughter
Connection
Mindfulness
Real food
Journaling
Mindfulness
Diaphragmatic breathing
Hot & cold therapy
Emotional regulation
Practice gratitude
Forgiveness
Prioritizing self care
Community involvement
Slowing down vs. hustling
Live your truth
As you move into the new year with the overarching goal of improving your health and well-being, what practices will you put into place to help manage your stress more effectively? Schedule a free consultation today and let’s discuss a plan to help manage your stress!