Let’s Talk about Stress

Stress.

What does that word bring to your mind? Does it make you feel a twinge of panic or does your heart start racing a little? Or do you view stress as helpful; as the get-it-done kick-in-the-pants you need to check off your long to-do list? If you’re like most people, you probably have experienced both of these reactions to stress at some time or another.

Stress is defined as “the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change” (Selye, 1950). Experiencing acute stress is important because it allows our bodies to physiologically shift in the moment in order to protect ourselves; essentially, the stress response can be lifesaving. For example, think about if someone is chasing after you and trying to harm you. You want your stress response to kick in to gear and get you out of the situation! In the past, our hunter-gatherer ancestors’ stress responses protected them from wild animals that might chase them down while they hunted for food. In a more relatable scenario, maybe your child falls and breaks his arm, you need that stress response to occur in order to work quickly to get your child the help he needs in the moment. A stress response may be necessary in other life situations like moving, traveling on an airplane, changing jobs, meeting a deadline, surviving the newborn days with a colicky baby and (insert your own situation here). A stress response is helpful when it happens to get us through a situation and then the stress subsides.

While an appropriate acute stress response is important, the problem with stress arises when it becomes chronic. This is when you are experiencing stressful situations more often than not. This is when your “fight-or-flight” reaction stays ramped up and you may feel unable to relax and unwind. Maybe you feel a lump in your throat or like your shoulders are wound up to your ears. Chronic stress is so pervasive these days due to our modern, fast-paced culture and the constant threats and attacks to our bodies and their systems. You may even be experiencing stress from places you don’t even realize. According to Roberts and Brandon (2021), “dysregulated chronic responses lead to pathologies…protective measures become destructive.” This chronic response is where we see stress alter our bodies:

• our minerals become depleted

• blood sugar levels become dysregulated

• the brain experiences changes

• bodily inflammation increases

• the digestive system is downregulated and other GI issues can occur

• hormones shift inappropriately

• our HPA axis loses its sensitivity and ability to respond appropriately (and these are just a few consequences of chronic stress).

  According to the Nutritional Therapy Association (2020), “the bottom line is that chronic, unmanaged stress will make us sick, tired, wired and worse.”

Let’s think about each person having his/her own stress bucket. As your stress bucket fills without being emptied, what happens over time? That’s right, it overflows! This is where illnesses and chronic medical conditions begin to happen. What are some things that contribute to the filling of our stress buckets? The list is long:

·      eating a lot of processed foods and sugar (including take-out and fast foods)

·      work (and overwork)

·      unmanaged boundaries and increased mental stress

·      too little time in nature

·      not eating enough food and conversely, overeating

·      too much intense exercise (too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing)

·      long sessions of cardio exercise (no, more is not better!)

·      too much caffeine

·      too much alcohol

·      not enough water

·      not enough sleep

·      too much screen time exposure

·      no downtime to unwind/schedule too full

·      exposures to toxins in the home and environment (pesticides, plastics, fragrances, toxic cleaners, toxic beauty products, tap water, etc)

·      blood sugar fluctuations

·      family care responsibilities

·      past traumatic experiences that have not been processed appropriately

I share this list with you not to discourage you, but to bring awareness. We cannot change what we don’t know. While some stressful situations are not within our control, there are some things we can do to reduce the overall stress load on our bodies. Pick and choose the things you CAN focus on and change. Take heart and realize that small lifestyle shifts can add up to BIG positive impacts for your body.

The following list includes six ways you can support your body and healthy stress levels on a daily basis. Do as many as you can, but also if you can only do one or two regularly, know that is better than nothing and your body thanks you!

Six easy steps you can take daily to manage stress and care for your body:

o   BREATHE. Do deep breathing sessions throughout your day (aim for at least three each day--one before each meal and add in more sessions as you can). Breathe in deeply and expand your lungs until no more air can fit in them. Exhale slowly until every bit of air is released. Do this at least five cycles per breathing session.

o   GET OUT IN NATURE. Sit outside without your phone (I know, I know, is this even possible? I’m here to say that IT IS) or other distractions and take it in. Stare at a tree, a bush or the sky. Notice what you see, smell and hear. Try to spend at least ten minutes in a nature session (but if you only have five or even one minute available, take it and know that it is all helpful to reduce stress).

o   FOCUS ON WHOLE FOODS. Eat your fruits and your veggies (no, this is not your mother speaking. But she is right!). Reach for fresh meats, eggs, nuts and seeds. Focus on local, organic produce, 100% grass-fed beef and pasture-raised products. Try to avoid as many packaged foods as possible especially during an extremely stressful time. Remember, if you can’t pronounce an ingredient in your food, it most likely is a stressor to your body!

o   SIT TO EAT YOUR MEALS AND TAKE YOUR TIME WHILE EATING. This supports your digestion by supporting your body coming to a parasympathetic state. Chew your food well and take your time. When the body is in a parasympathetic (calm) state, the digestive process can work properly and the nutrients you consume are better absorbed.

o   LIMIT SCREEN TIME AFTER THE SUN GOES DOWN. Blue light from screens interrupts the body's circadian rhythm and can make it much harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Lack of sleep is stressful to the body. We need plenty of quality sleep each night for our bodies to rest and repair and be ready for the next day. If you need to use a screen at night, invest in some quality blue-light blockers to mitigate some of the effects of the blue light on the body.

o   DRINK WATER. Drink plenty of water each day to stay hydrated and to support your body's necessary functions. Include a pinch of sea salt or electrolytes in one glass each day.

Does this article resonate with you? Maybe you have some other ways to release stress and practice self-care. There are many and this list just covers a few that can be done on a daily basis with relative ease. Let’s keep this conversation going and help each other care for our bodies!

Resources:

Nutritional Therapy Association (2020). Sleep, Stress, and Movement Student Guide [PDF].

Roberts, B. L., & Karatsoreos, I. N. (2021). Brain-body responses to chronic stress: a brief review. Faculty reviews, 10, 83. https://doi.org/10.12703/r/10-83

Selye, H. (1950). Stress and the General Adaptation Syndrome. BMJ, 1383-1392.