THE HEAL BETTER 7: THE SEVEN FUNDAMENTALS OF OPTIMAL HEALTH
#2 NAVIGATING STRESS
“Stress is not necessarily something bad ... The stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental.”
One way I navigate stress is through a daily meditation practice.
OH, STRESS!
Stress is a natural part of life. Some stress is useful - it keeps our faculties and brains sharp and properly functioning. Runaway and chronic stress, on the other hand, is deeply problematic, leading to downstream toxic effects like chronic disease, chronic muscle tension + pain, mental health issues, and even death.
WHAT IS STRESS?
I can write a tome on this topic, but will try to keep it brief.
Stress is a normal and natural human reaction - each and everyone of us has stress. Anytime you experience a challenge (known as a stressor), your body produces both a physical and mental response. This response is the body and mind's method to help your body adjust to new situations, perform well, and keep you safe from danger.
Stress starts as a hormonal response deep inside your brain. When you’re stressed, the hypothalamus sends signals throughout your nervous system and to your kidneys. In turn, your kidneys release stress hormones including adrenaline and cortisol.
STRESSORS
Examples:
Situations or events that put pressure on us —
school work
job demands
taking care of family members and/or family problems
dealing with illness
not having healthcare
financial issues and/or being in debt
too many obligations and responsibilities
facing a big change
not having enough work / change in your life
confronting a lot of self-pressure or criticism
dealing with a history of trauma
feeling lost about your future
times of uncertainty like the COVID-19 pandemic we're navigating
larger existential issues like climate change
and much more
Our mental reaction to being placed under pressure/stressors – the feelings we get when we have demands placed on us that we find difficult to manage and cope with, for example:
worrying about something
feeling pressure
not knowing how to handle something
feeling helpless
feeling scared/fearful
and others
POSITIVE STRESS
Known as eustress, evolutionarily, stress was a positive survival mechanism which occurred in short bursts with periods of rest between. It kept us alert, motivated and ready to avoid danger like being eaten by a lion.
In modern times, stress can be useful in situations when we need to perform well -- for example, you have a presentation for your boss coming up. The body's stress response can help your mind to be more alert, your body to work harder, and your physiology to stay awake longer. Eustress can also make you feel excited and content about life and work.
“Eustress helps us stay motivated, work toward goals, and feel good about life,” - clinical psychiatrist Dr. Michael Genovese
NEGATIVE/TOXIC STRESS
Stress becomes a problem when stressors continue without relief or significant periods of relaxation/rest. Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common in our fast-paced, ultra-wired world. Most of us have many responsibilities and demands in our lives, work too many hours, and then we push ourselves to do more, be more, and be better. We're constantly connected through the internet, social media, television and the like. We are literally bombarded with information at every angle. Many of us have lost connection to our quiet, softer sides, the side that prioritizes being rather than doing.
Too many stressors and not enough rest leads to our sympathetic nervous response to be on overdrive. The sympathetic nervous system is the "fight or flight" part of our nervous system. This leads to unnecessary inflammation and negative pressure on the body's physiology downstream, which can lead to a host of diseases and mental health problems.
(image: coolstim.com)
CHRONIC STRESS LEADS TO DISEASE
Ongoing chronic stress can cause or exacerbate many serious health problems, including:
weight gain
sleep issues/insomnia
blood sugar problems / glucose intolerance
cardiovascular disease (including heart disease, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, and stroke)
mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and panic attacks, and other mood disorders
chronic muscle tension / pain in the body like back pain and headaches
autoimmune disorders
fertility problems
cancer
frequent illnesses / poor immunity
GI issues like irritable bowel syndrome
sense of unease or unwellness
and much more
WHAT TO DO?
BUILDING RESILIENCE
Bruce McEwen, PhD has written extensively on allostasis, which can be defined as the ability to achieve stability through change.
McEwan writes, "The perception of stress is influenced by one's experiences, genetics, and behavior. When the brain perceives an experience as stressful, physiologic and behavioral responses are initiated, leading to allostasis and adaptation."
Building resilience and healthy adaptation takes practice. When we increase our resilience capacities, we can more easily manage stressors AND they have less effect on our bodies and minds.
Part of resilience building is finding practices that help you to invoke your parasympathetic nervous system response - the calming “rest and digest” function of your nervous system. Bringing more parasympathetic nervous system action online helps to balance out toxic stress caused by sympathetic nervous system overdrive.
image: coolstim.com
RESILIENCE-BUILDING PRACTICES
Deep breathing / breath work
Meditation, especially mindfulness and self-compassion practices
Media/news/internet fasts
Exercise and non-linear movement like dance and shaking
Yoga asana
Body work and massage
Acupuncture
Nature therapy such as gardening, forest bathing, and just being outside
Working on hobbies you love like cooking, music, painting, bird watching.
Journaling
Talking to a trusted ally, whether that's a friend, partner, therapist, teacher/mentor, or neighbor
Humor / laughter
Spending time in water / baths
Spending time in community
Being with a pet
Prioritizing quality rest and sleep
and many more
It is also important that if possible, we work to remove ourselves from any chronically toxic environments we're facing. If overloaded with responsibilities, try to decrease the number of demands you're facing to only the most important ones. Furthermore, creating healthy boundaries in relationships and with work/rest is incredibly important to cultivate resilience.
Need help with navigating stress + building resilience?
I am here to help! I have a wonderful toolbox of resources including mind-body practices, helpful herbs/botanicals + supplements, and other supportive measures to help you decrease negative stress, invite better balance and boundaries, and cultivate useful resilience-building practices.
We can also work on evaluating and creating care plans for problems like chronic illness/diseases, chronic pain, mental health issues, and just feeling not well, which can greatly affect the amount of stress you’re facing. And, as we know, too much stress can in turn these worsen issues or make it harder to heal.
Life can feel manageable and joyful and more balanced. Let’s make it happen for you.