Have you ever experienced sweaty hands before meeting on a first date? Or felt anxious about performing well in a job interview? Stress is a normal part of being human. It is a powerful force on our body affecting it both positively and negatively. There are two kinds of stress:
Let’s take a look at how stress affects our bodies and what we can do to keep our stress levels low and our lifestyle and overall health high. How Stress Affects Our Health Stress is also referred to as the "fight or flight response". When you’re placed into a stressful situation, your body responds automatically. Your brain releases the stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, automatically into your bloodstream. This causes numerous side effects:
This automatic response is completely normal. It's how our ancestors survived. However, today we aren’t likely to face the same threats as our ancestors. Instead, the stresses of daily life, paying bills, meeting deadlines, and juggling childcare, are what elicit the fight or flight response today. As a result, stress may be constantly stuck in the “on” position, which can have serious consequences for our health. Small, short-lived stress can affect your digestive system by giving you nausea before a presentation or a headache while arguing with your spouse. However, even these short-lived bouts of stress can still have a lasting effect on your body. Additionally, long-term activation of the stress response system can disrupt all of your body’s functioning systems. Moreover, it can leave you fatigued, unable to concentrate, and irritable for no good reason. Repeated stress can inflame the circulatory system and affect cholesterol levels, possibly leading to a heart attack. The longer the stress lasts, the worse it is for both your mind and body functioning. This is called chronic stress. Chronic stress puts your body at risk for:
Chronic stress can put you at risk mentally for:
Since chronic stress has such adverse effects on the mind and body, it's important to reduce your stress levels. Not only will it make you feel better right now, but may also protect your health long-term. 5 Ways to Manage Stress Fortunately, it is possible to relieve chronic stress and to keep yourself from activating the sympathetic nervous system when you don’t need it. 1. Identify What’s Causing the Stress. Keep a journal with you to help you monitor what causes you stress throughout the day. When you engage with the cause of your stress, write down exactly what happened, your thoughts, and your overall mood. Once you have identified the cause, you will be able to develop a plan to address it. This means setting realistic expectations for yourself and asking for help when you need it. 2. Create a Support System. Reach out to a close friend or family member that you have a strong relationship with and let them know what’s going on. Share your burden with them and welcome any guidance and support they give. They may also be experiencing the same challenges as you and be able to provide useful ideas and perspectives. No one needs to face their struggles alone. 3. Exercise Virtually any form of exercise can act as a stress reliever. Being active boosts your endorphins and provides a distraction from the stresses of daily life. Moreover, it improves your mood. Regular exercise can increase self-confidence, help you relax, and lower symptoms of mild depression and anxiety. Exercise can also reduce stress by providing your body with relief while imitating its effects. As a result, your body and its systems become more accustomed to working together. Furthermore, exercising can help protect your body from the harmful effects of stress, including those that affect the cardiovascular, digestive, and immune systems. Lastly, exercise can also improve your sleep, which is often disrupted by stress, depression, and anxiety. 4. Eat Nutrient-Dense Foods A healthy, balanced, and nutritious diet can help in numerous ways:
When you're too busy to cook when you get home, try meal prepping to ensure you're eating nourishing and healthy meals that support both your mind and body. 5. Get Between 7 and 8 Hours of Sleep Every Night Individuals who suffer from chronic stress often struggle with a lack of quality sleep. Here are some important steps you can take to ensure you’re getting the right amount of sleep:
Stress is an expected and normal part of being human, and it can even be beneficial in small amounts. A chronic state of stress, on the other hand, can be detrimental to your health.
You can relieve your mental and physical symptoms of stress by learning to manage it. A stress-management strategy can help you manage stress in a way that is effective and reduces its long-term harmful effects. Interested in learning more? Check out our services to learn how you can manage your stress and create a life you love!
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We all experience setbacks at some point in our lives. I recently overcame one... The demands of being a daughter, mom, and professional during COVID hit hard. When things finally calmed down, I wasn’t in a place emotionally, physically, or cognitively to set goals, be consistent, or make any commitments to myself. On the outside, it looked like I had it all. But on the inside... I was crumbling. It took everything in me just to make it through the day. After realizing what was happening, I knew I had two choices: keep spiraling, or break the cycle. I started to make small (but profound) shifts in my every day life that supported my mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. I learned how to ask for help and built a strong community that helped me be able to show up for myself, family, and friends in meaningful ways. In this blog post, I'm going to be sharing some of the top mindset shifts and wellness strategies that helped me overcome my setback and create a life I love. 5 Proven Ways To Overcome Obstacles & Create A Life You Love 1. Acknowledge Your Feelings and Process Them Whenever a hardship in life is thrown into your path, the most important thing is to take a break and process it. It’s human nature to want to automatically move into fixing mode. Oftentimes, we believe it is better to push through the pain without acknowledging our feelings. However, this can greatly hinder your healing process. When you deny or minimize your feelings, it becomes much more challenging to move forward. One simple tool you can use to process your feelings is to journal. Journaling can help you accept instead of judge your thoughts. This can result in fewer negative emotions experienced in response to stress. Writing down your thoughts can help you to express and explore your emotions in a safe and private space, gain clarity and perspective on your thoughts and experiences, identify patterns and triggers, and develop a deeper understanding of yourself and your emotional needs. 2. Learn From Your Setbacks Reframe the setback as a learning opportunity. You can learn more about yourself, your relationships, your values, and your impact on the world when you experience an obstacle. Here are some tips to use when you’re contemplating your setback and the reason behind it:
Ultimately, you should focus on what you can control rather than perseverate over things that are out of your control. This will help you reduce those feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. As a result, you can focus on what you can fix, and break tasks into manageable pieces that can be completed one at a time. This is an important building block in creating a life you love. 3. Plan Your Next Steps Once you have reevaluated your goals and set new ones, now is the time to take action. It's easy to get stuck in a rut, but if you’ve put in the work to acknowledge your feelings and learn from this experience, planning the next steps can help you move forward.
It's important to keep taking action toward your goals, even when it feels difficult or daunting. I suggest reading James Clear's book Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones to help you get started! 4. Prioritize Your Physical & Emotional Health When you're going through a difficult time, it's easy to lose lose momentum and fall back into old habits. However, taking care of yourself is crucial if you're looking to overcome the difficult situation you are in. Be sure to focus on:
Overcoming one setback will better prepare you for any future obstacles you may face. Here are my tips for building a healthy lifestyle that will help you overcome your setback:
5. Pay It Forward If you have experienced a setback that you once believed was impossible to overcome, think about how your experiences can be used to help those who are in a similar position. Small acts of kindness and support can make a big impact on someone's life. By giving back and helping others, you can turn your difficult situation into an opportunity to make a positive difference in the world. Here Are 10 Ways to Pay it Forward:
Every journey has setbacks, but they don't have to define you.
By acknowledging your feelings, reframing setbacks as opportunities, taking action, practicing self-care, getting support, paying it forward and continually learning and growing, you can overcome setbacks and create a life you love. I’ve experienced setbacks that kept me from living to my full potential. I’m here to tell you:
You have the power to create the life you desire. You just need to be brave enough to make it a reality. Let’s make today be your Turning Pointe! Click HERE to contact me today. I look forward to hearing how I can help you create a life you love. Tina Musselman |
AuthorTina Musselman, MA, LPC, RD, CLT ArchivesCategories |