Understand Your Stress

Are you Stressed?

I often discover in naturopathic clinic that people don't realise the amount of stress they are under or the impact this stress is having on their everyday health.  Some people may feel stressed but have not been able to connect the dots and attribute their health symptoms to the stress they are experiencing. Yet chronic stress is the underlying factor and trigger for many health conditions and stress causes a physiological change that establishes an internal environment for disease to develop. Until stress is addressed the road to recovery and good health is like battling against a strong current and never quite getting ahead.

Here are a few ways that stress may manifest in your everyday life.  Can you identify with any of the following scenarios?

Nervous Tension & Anxiety - excessive fear and worry, restlessness, tightening of chest and racing heartbeat with panic attacks in extreme cases.

Wired and Tired - you are physically exhausted but your brain is keeping you switched on and mounting a stress response keeping you alert and ‘wired’, you can’t relax.

Exhausted and Flat - ongoing stress can physically change the way the brain is able to respond, you can no longer build the energy to respond feeling depleted.

Low Mood - changes may occur in the brain tissue due to ongoing stress, changing brain functions and the activity of brain chemicals leading to feelings of low mood.

Emotional - For some people ongoing stress impacts resilience, manifesting as feelings of overwhelm, vulnerability, teary and weepy moments.

Insomnia - Sleep quality and quantity can be negatively impacted with ongoing stress resulting in an inability to unwind and fall asleep, frequent waking, or wake feeling unrefreshed.

Stresses affects are wide reaching - mental wellbeing and mood, sleeping patterns, energy levels, digestive function, cardiovascular function, reproductive hormones, and may influence weight management and cause inflammatory problems.

Simple Achievable Ways to Manage your Stress

As with most aspects of health there is not one magic pill.  Your wellness cup must be constantly topped up to help balance everything else going on in your life.  You will be pleasantly surprised how implementing a few small strategic steps towards managing your stress will benefit your overall health and assist you in gaining momentum to get you back on track and feeling well.  

So let's keep it simple and affordable….but…. you must acknowledge the stress and engage and commit to practices for change and healing to occur.

5 simple things you can and need to focus on.

Nature

Find your connection to the natural world.  This is a mindful practice that is a gateway to slow down, not keeping busy to survive because busy is your thing and the way you cope, but a portal into allowing perspective into your life and come to the forefront.  Connecting with nature allows the bigger life picture come into your vision so that we don’t get caught up in the everyday whirlwind.

From the smallest connection of a pot plant on your kitchen windowsill that you nurture everyday, stepping out the front door/balcony/yard and feeling the temperature against your skin, listening to the sounds, the breeze through the trees, are there clouds? Are they speeding across the heavens?  Take regular nature connection mini-breaks.

Sleep

Sleep is a non-negotiable wellness necessity.  Sleep allows your body to heal and repair, digest and rest. Not only the quantity but the quality of your sleep matters. If you are struggling with sleep then what is happening? Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep? Is the mind racing with too many thoughts? Or so much going on that you are wired but tired? Snapping awake as though it is the middle of the day and left lying staring at the ceiling? These are all signs of stress that need to be addressed and managed so that you can escape the vicious cycle. Don’t disregard your sleep health, poor sleep has negative long term health consequences. 

A few steps:

Go to bed and wake close to the same time everyday - helps to set your circadian rhythm

Develop a nighttime ritual to cue the body for sleep - bathing, herbal tea, reading, yin yoga, mindful practice

Don’t take naps during the day and do daily exercise to breathe fresh air and oxygenate your cells

Ensure your sleeping space is just that - for sleep. Quiet, comfortable, a space you walk into and exhale

Food

Fresh whole food feeds are nutrient dense and provide the essential building blocks for everything your body needs to make you feel great and full of vital energy. Avoiding processed additive laden foods eases the load on your liver and leaves room for your digestive processes to do their job without struggling with overload.   Keep it simple, keep it fresh, eat seasonal and be mindful of what you eat, enjoy the flavours.

Exercise and Movement

Regular activity at whichever level you are at and whatever your personal preference is essential. Movement has shown to significantly boost mental and emotional well being as increased blood circulation oxygenates tissues. Engaging with the world, calming the mind with intended focus, our everyday stresses can fall away for a moment and allow us to gain new perspective and brighter outlooks, you may even come up with new solutions for those perceived stresses.

Mindful Breathing

The simplest and easiest way to manage your stress, both acutely when you are in a moment of overwhelm, or as a practice. It is no surprise that when people are very upset the mantra is ‘calm down, breathe slowly’. Controlled breath calms the nervous system. Mindful breathing - the focus on the breath with intention - activates the parasympathetic nervous system, your rest and digest response, and tones the vagal nerve. Toning the vagal nerve in this manner will calm your nerves, ease feelings of overwhelm and anxiety. A regular breathing practice will allow you to approach your everyday life stresses with a sense of calm and clarity. Try it won’t you be disappointed.

Everyday stress, perceived or real, is experienced by all and causes a physiological reaction. It is how we respond to that stress that affects our everyday health.  Naturopathic clinic treatment invariably encompasses some form of guidance and stress relief support that is individualised to your needs, ie we meet you where you are at to achieve results for you. Stress is a large component of modern day society which impacts us all.  Wonderful health improvements are experienced once everyday stresses are acknowledged and addressed. Often there is no magic witches wand to eliminate the stress but it is your approach to the stress and the support measures you engage for yourself.

If you think stress may be impacting your everyday health make an appointment today for a naturopathic consult to implement some stress relief treatments tailored for you.

Be Well

Renae x

More information around stress soon to come with how stress can affect Mental Health Wellbeing and measures to support our mental health - Sleep, Food and Relationships