How to live a low stress life, even during stressful times. We are living in stressful times. The expectations of today’s society are making everyone extremely stressed, since they are so unrealistic. We need to be more, do more. Be successful, be beautiful, be handsome, be rich, and well mannered, and not too much, and the list goes on and on. But how do we lessen the stress in our lives? Even while living in the same world? Is that even possible? Let’s get into it.
Why even work on it?
Why? Why do we even have to try to lessen our stress levels. What is stress causing in our lives? What even is stress? Stress is a feeling, but today we will talk more about the hormone cortisol. Which is your stress hormone. One that we can’t live without, as it wakes us up in the morning or makes sure our body pumps up with adrenaline if we are under attack. But we can lower the amount of cortisol running through our blood everyday. Because most days, we are not under some immediate attack. But the high amounts of cortisol present in our bodies may cause weight gain, water retention, higher blood pressure, acne, digestive issues and lower energy levels. And this is not a healthy state for us to be in daily.
Stress is not just mental
While a lot of stress in today’s society is a mental game. We can help ourselves with a great deal of the physical side of stress. When we can work on 4 pillars of physical stressors, we can significantly lower our cortisol levels and reap all the benefits. 4 daily physical stressors are exercise, under eating or improper nutrition, eating sugar and being stuck in a fight or flight mode. These physical stressors can benefit us (like exercise) but it can just as likely cause excess stress that sets you up for failure. And while we associate stress with mental pressure, these 4 pillars can contribute just as much pressure on your body. Which is why it is important to focus on these pillars so that you can stay in the same environment, with the same job, and still lower your cortisol levels.
Exercise
Starting with a tricky pillar. Because exercise, or more importantly movement, should be something you practice daily. It can be a way to relieve stress, clear your mind and get out of your head. Yet exercise can be a significant stressor on the body. Especially when the type of workouts you do are lifting heavy weights, or pushing yourself in various HIIT classes. The exercise can heel good in the moment itself, but your body needs energy to re-build tissue and muscle mass after these intense session. And when there is little to no energy left in your system due to high stress, these high intensity trainings can do more harm than good. Which is why it is important to listen to your body, and opt for a more gentle for of movement when you are stressed or exhausted.
Undereating
Our bodies are made to thrive, if only we step out of the way and let it to it’s thing. And just like a car, your body needs fuel. Only we have forgotten, or chose to find other matters more important, that our body also needs fuel to thrive. Every day your body needs energy for your brain to function normally, for your heart to keep you alive, for your liver to cleanse your blood, the list goes on and on. Only when we have enough energy to spare, will our hair start to grow, our nails grow long and will you be able to feel relaxed and creative.
But when we chose to eat very little, or a lot of sugary foods that do not contain any form of nutrients. We become malnourished. And this starts of small, and can simmer in the background for a while. But it is yet another stressor on the body. Because you are expecting your body to do all it’s tasks, and have energy left to do fun things. Despite the fact that you are most likely running on empty. So eating enough, and eating foods that actually nourish you, is a very easy way to take a lot of stress of your plate and become more resilent.
Eating sugar
This may be an easy one, but another stressor we all seem to forget. Because where whole foods can nourish you and make you more resilent against stress, sugar does the opposite. Sugar gives you a fast boost of energy, but it depletes you even more when that spike drops again. During the blood sugar drops, our bodies need to do a lot of work to get it stable again. And the more blood sugar spikes you have during the day, the more energy gets wasted on remaining somewhat steady and energized. All the while creating more stress, which can very easily be avoided. Now eating completly sugar free can be difficult. So focusing on three balanced meals a day to really keep your blood sugar steady will give you more energy. And you will very likely not even reach for the sugary snacks once you feel how they deplete you!
Fight or Flight
Within our bodies are different working systems. We have the digestive system, we have the cardiovascular system, just as we have our nervoussystem. A very important system that communicates with every system in our bodies. The nervous sytem can make sure our blood is pumped with adrenaline when we come face to face with imminent danger, just as it can also calm our body down so that digestion can happen when we feel safe.
But when does our body feel safe enough to relax? And do we even take the time to relax. Just as with everything in life, we need to have a balance. A very important one is the balance between work and rest/play. There should be a time everyday for you to focus, to work, to train and do something productive. Along side the working hours, it’s very imporant to also schedule so time to rest, to give your body the signal that it’s okay. This way your body calms down and you can restore tissue, complete digestion and the flush out toxins from the body. As well as restore your depleted energy stores so that you can take on your day tomorrow while being energized.
But how can we effectively give our body the signal that it is okay to rest? That method is different for everyone. For some it’s doing some meditation or breathing exercise. For others it’s going on a walk or talking with friends or loved ones. However, something that does not work for any of us, is the doom scrolling or watching of thrillers after we had a busy day. Most of us have seem to have found a new rythm to unwind and that is to grab your phone the minute we have to wait in line, or get home. And whil e you might get the feeling of unwinding, simply because you get out of your body and become unaware of your surroundings and your body. This is absolutely not the way you give your body a signal to relax.
Which is why i want to invite you to take a few minutes after every day at work or at home. And pause, breathe, do some chores, go on a slow walk, but do it in silence. Try to tune into your body, give your brain a pause from the constant influx of information and just look around you. When we tune into our bodies we create a safe haven within. And that is your golden ticket to coming out of your fight and flight mode, and into your resting state. This way you can allow your body and mind to unwind in the evening, so that you can start your tomorrow renewed and energized!
This article on living a less stressful life and all other information on this website is presented for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment, or advice of a qualified, licensed medical professional. The facts presented in this article or on the website are offered as information only, not medical advice, and in no way should anyone infer that we are practicing medicine. Seek the advice of a medical professional for proper application of this material to any specific situation.
We hope this post gave you more insight on why listening to your body is important. Please share this post with anyone who might benefit from it.
