Stress-less

Let’s talk about stress.

Over the past half decade or so, stress has gotten a majorly bad rap.  Levels of anxiety, depression, overwhelm, and general stress are higher now than they have been since 2020 when lockdown happened. I recently heard a news broadcast in which the announcer was saying that of thousands of Americans that were polled on the importance of this last week’s election, 87% believed they would suffer serious post traumatic stress if their candidate did not win. Only 10% of those participants said that they were not worried. I’ve seen and spoken to many that are worried and heartbroken and some that are elated that Trump won, but whichever side of the political arena you happen to have voted, the unpleasantness and misinformation displayed by both parties over the last months – and the extremity of media coverage – has been difficult for most.  

Americans are also contending with a rapidly increasing cost of living, leading to a decrease in quality of life.  This is compounded by an overall decrease in health with diseases such as autoimmune disorders, diabetes, infertility, and cancer on the rise.  Then there are environmental toxins and stressors such as pollution, depleted minerals in our soil and chlorine and fluoride in our water.  Added to that we have the “typical American diet” which consists of an overabundance of sugar and highly refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats and oils, and chemicals that should never be in our foods in the first place.  

It’s no wonder that many of us feel overwhelmed and burnt out.  

When the body is in a state of elevated stress or “fight or flight”, a number of hormones are released into the bloodstream:

• Adrenaline(epinephrine)/norepinephrine:  Both increase heart rate and blood pressure, expediting the release of energy from the cells. 

• Cortisol –  affects nearly every organ and tissue in the body.  It is vital for regulating the body’s stress response, regulating blood sugar and blood pressure, influences the metabolism and immune function as well as the way the body uses fats, proteins and carbohydrates.  

• Growth hormone(HGH) increases glucose and free fatty acids in the bloodstream.  

• Thyroid hormones – increase heart and basal metabolic rate.

Every mammal produces these necessary chemicals; vital for survival in the wild.  This evolutionary design is optimal for short, occasional bursts of these hormones – for those times that we may have been chased by a hungry predator, or when we needed to make rapid decisions for the good of the tribe.   In the wild, as soon as an animal is safe after a fight or flight episode, the basal rate of these hormones drop to pre-emergency levels. 

In the short term, stress can also help us achieve greater success in our lives from the boardroom or the bedroom.  In “normal” conditions and doses, hormones such as adrenaline, norepinephrine and the secondary “stress” neurochemical, dopamine, help us to:

• move faster
• increase energy
• think more clearly
• focus longer 
• increases metabolic and immune function, and even temporarily, sexual function
• focus intensely and seemingly “slow” time

If we harness the power of these neurotransmitters well, stress can help us to start that business, go on an adventure, ask for that raise or that date, complete important deadlines and more.  Adrenaline and cortisol can also get us through emergency situations.

Most of us have had at least one emergency situation in our lives where we experienced greater focus and cognition or speed and strength as a result of this mechanism, allowing us to get through that situation better than we might have thought possible.  I’ve had several throughout my life, but a couple of years back, I had one such situation that perfectly illustrates this phenomenon:

I was driving in the carpool lane through the Tacoma area of Washington at night.  It was raining and traffic was heavy, but everyone was moving smoothly around 70 mph.  I experienced that “prickling” sensation that something was wrong right before I realized there was a tow truck parked at a complete stop with no lights on, in the middle of the lane ahead of me. I was driving right around 70mph and less than 100 feet away when I saw it.  I had only seconds to calculate an opening in nearly bumper to bumper traffic of the next lane, big enough for a full-sized sedan in heavy traffic.  As my system flooded with adrenaline and cortisol, I had the sense of everything slowing down and my focus narrowing as I slid over into the next lane with what felt like just inches between a full sized truck in front and a motorcycle behind.  If I had been just seconds slower, I would have died horribly, likely along with many others on the freeway that night.  So thank goodness that we have such powerful neurochemicals and hormones at our disposal when we need them. 

As mentioned earlier, in occasional doses, stress can be a valuable and powerful ally.  But in our modern society, we often have a near-constant drip of these chemicals as stress becomes prolonged or chronic.  When this happens, the very hormones that can be a medicine in the body and brain become a poison.  Dr. Tara Swart, (@drtaraswart) a neuroscientist and senior lecturer at MIT, describes cortisol as an especially corrosive agent to nearly every aspect of the body.  In chronic exposure and excessive quantities, cortisol has a host of terrible effects in the body and brain:

• Is highly inflammatory 
• degrades immune function
• causes weight gain; especially around the belly.  
• lowers blood supply to the brain, causing impairment of higher neurological function and reasoning processes, creativity and flexible thinking.  This also impairs our ability to access our intuition/heart-gut-brain axis and override pre-set cognitive bias.  
• leaches essential magnesium from the body, impairing the nervous system.  This can cause tremors, muscle weakness, low energy, eye twitching and body odor. 

Over time, these elevated levels of stress hormones and inflammatory markers can turn on genetic predispositions for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and age-related disease such as dementia.   When we turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as pornography, alcohol or drugs, the excess of neurotransmitters such as dopamine in the system can actually lead to significantly lower levels of dopamine and serotonin in the system, leaving us feeling depressed and unmotivated. 

What all of this means is that it is more important than ever to learn to harness “good” stress and learn ways to reframe and decrease our perceived stressors, anxiety and unhappiness.  We need to increase our “ happiness baseline” to live longer, healthier, more satisfying lives.  

There’s not much we can do about environmental pollutants, but most of us know the basics of self care for the body –  limit alcohol and cigarettes, drink clean water and eat a clean diet (to the best of our ability) and get enough sleep each night (7-8 hours is so important. This is when the body and brain heals) and exercise each week to keep our bodies in good condition. 

But if we take our self-care a little further to really mitigate long-term detriment, improve our overall quality of life and even extend our life span, there are a few basic habits we can incorporate into our daily or weekly lives to minimize chronic levels of stress hormones.  

Acceptance: Noticing negative thought patterns such as “what’s wrong with me/them/the world” and allowing whatever is, just to be.  

Gratitude:  Gratitude is an amazing neurochemical reset.  Just feeling fully thankful for five small things each morning and/or evening before bed can create what seems like truly magical change in our stress levels and day-to-day mindset.  According to Harvard Medical School, gratitude not only is strongly associated with greater happiness but also improves health, our ability to deal with adversity and build better relationships.  

Mindfulness.  Spending even five minutes each day being fully present in the moment and the body can induce improved well-being, reduce reactivity and improve behavior regulation.  

Meditation: learning to quiet the mind has too many benefits to list, but reducing stress and anxiety, increasing compassion, adaptability and self-awareness are just a few of the amazing rewards of regular practice.  

Breathing:  Deep breathing triggers the bodies’ relaxation response.  When feeling overwhelmed, doing a breath work “reset” :  One long breath followed by one short breath through the nose, hold for four seconds and exhale for 8.  Repeat 3-4 times.  Deep breathing as a daily practice increases oxygen and blood to the brain, increases energy, lowers blood pressure, and can lengthen life span.  Yoga is my favorite way to combine exercise, breath work and mindfulness in a “moving meditation”, but just spending a few minutes each day practicing deep, mindful breathing can dramatically improve health and emotional well-being. 

Exercise: Dr. Andrew Huberman; neuroscientist, Stanford lab researcher and podcaster @hubermanlab speaks often of the positive value of exercise – the most recent studies show that humans need a minimum of 150 minutes per week of cardiovascular exercise to maintain good health.  

Spending time outdoors.  Spending that time in nature is especially beneficial for our physical and emotional health as we absorb vitality-increasing negative ions from the earth, trees, plants and water.  Exposure to the sun is vitally important, too.   We should get at least twenty minutes of direct sunlight on our eyes and skin each day.  The UV and vitamin D that we get from sunshine increases immune function, regulates blood pressure, improves mood and energy levels and can significantly improve cognitive function. 

Hot baths: Calms the nervous system.  Can improve sleep.  Increases blood flow, lowers blood pressure.  A 20-year study of over 30,000 people in Japan found that those who bathed daily were less likely to develop cardiovascular disease and have a stroke.  Bathing also relieves muscle soreness, and even moreso when we replenish lost magnesium during times of increased stress with a soak in magnesium flakes or salts. We absorb magnesium better through our skin than we do when taken internally.  An hour in 104 degree water can also burn calories and lower blood sugar, much like the benefits of a sauna.  

Cold exposure.  Brief (1-5 minutes) cold plunges/showers increases levels of dopamine in the system for up to six hours after. (!). That’s big benefit for brief discomfort. 

Vagus nerve exercises: (nerves in sides of neck that control parasympathetic nervous system) Sing, chant, hum, laugh- vocal cords connect to the vagus nerve.  Neck and shoulder massages.  Rubbing both sides of neck in downward motion flushes lymphatic system and stimulates the vagus nerve at the same time.

Aromatherapy:  one study published in the national Institute of health clearly states that “Olafaction can affect emotions, higher functions, in the autonomic nervous system”.   Lavender, chamomile, rosemary, peppermint, jasmine and citrus have all been shown to calm the nervous system, but many of us have certain scents that just make us feel good or trigger happy memories.  For me, the smell of coffee is one of them – not only do I love good coffee, but as a child and young adult, my grandmother’s house almost always smelled of coffee and baked goods so that positive association greatly adds to my level of pleasure and happiness each time I brew a cup.

Self-care is highly personal, of course.  To some, spending time with friends or family feels deeply affirming, to others, quiet time on their own is the best form of self-care.  I like to have a balance of both, but whatever fills your cup and helps you to center, do that.  Along with a few of the aforementioned stress relieving, nervous-system regulating items above, perhaps.😌

To learn more on how confronting and harnessing stress can lead to greater levels of success and overall satisfaction with life, read my blog “Into the Chaos”.  

If you are feeling overwhelmed with anxiety, stress, or are experiencing self-sabotage in your life, NLP and Hypnotherapy are current, proven, cutting-edge technologies that can help you pinpoint pre-set neurological programs and patterns of behavior that may be keeping you in a state of despair or chronic overwhelm.  Through proven techniques and regular practice, we can re-code outdated and unhelpful programs and provide usable tools to regulate and re-balance the nervous system, creating a happier, healthier life of self-creation.  

For more information on any of the modalities mentioned in this blog, to participate in a three-day online re-creation workshop, or to arrange a private, one on one online or in-person hypnotic healing consultation, drop an email to terahrose.catalyst@gmail.com or feel free to look me up on social media at https://www.instagram.com/blessedisthissacredlife 

Big love.💖

• Terah