5 Ways to Reduce Stress Naturally
One of the most common things I hear in my acupuncture clinic is “I’m stressed out, can you help with that?” The answer: “yes!” Acupuncture, herbs and lifestyle changes can all improve resiliency and response to stress.
Stress is a physiological response to a real or perceived threat. While stress is inevitable, not all stress is “bad.” For example, if I am giving a presentation stress gives me added focus and energy. The problem lies in chronic stress, like working long hours, worry about finances or having regular arguments at home. Chronic stress actually changes the size, structure and function of your brain. That right there should stop you in your tracks. Chronic stress changes your brain. The constant release of cortisol experienced in chronic stress increases the neural connections in your amygdala, the fear center of your brain. At the same time the neural signals in your hippocampus, which is responsible for things like memory and stress response, deteriorate. Over time your brain actually shrinks in size impacting things like your ability to learn and memory. High levels of cortisol have also been linked to a number of chronic health issues such as type 2 diabetes, weight gain, heart disease, anxiety, depression, digestive problems, sleep issues and headaches.
So, given this information, what should you do? There is a lot of stress management advice out there. Get more sleep. Eat fresh healthy food. Meditate 30 minutes a day. Exercise. This is good sound advice. It is advice I commonly give my patients. What I am offering here are a few things that you may not have thought of that can bring about a shift at your very core. That can, perhaps, even change your brain. But yeah, exercise is on my list too.
These are five surprisingly and relatively easy ways to reduce stress naturally. You don’t have to buy a bunch of stuff or take a bunch of classes but you do have to be committed to these processes. Consistency is the key. Our stress is chronic and insidious so there is no magic ‘one and done’ approach. Changing our response to stress is an inside job but if you are committed to these processes I promise you an inner shift will occur.
BE FEARLESS. So much of our stress comes from fear: fear of making the wrong decision, fear of disappointing others, fear of failing. We become stuck in fear and the stress just continues to mount. Be fearless. Pick a path and follow it with all your heart. Change your mind. Pick a new path and follow that one with all your heart. I’m not saying to be rash or impetuous, although sometimes those things can be good too. You can carefully consider your path…the danger is when we never move beyond careful consideration. We can spend years carefully considering career changes or letting go of unfulfilling relationships. Heck, we can spend months deciding if we want to try yoga, and if so where and then, what will we wear to class? When was the last time you were fearless? Wondering how to get started? Start small. You don’t have to move across the country or quit your job. Although you could do that if your heart is calling you to do this very thing! Pick one fearless act to do today. Tell your real deal feelings to someone you trust. Sign up for that weekend retreat your braver self fantasized about doing. Say no. Say yes. Do one fearless act each day. It gets easier.
PRACTICE GRATITUDE. Did you know there is a science behind gratitude as an essential part of happiness? It’s hard to be stressed when you are happy. Researchers have discovered that gratitude boosts the neurotransmitter dopamine…the same neurotransmitter that the antidepressant Wellbutrin increases. Prozac works on the neurotransmitter serotonin…so does gratitude! According to neuroscience researcher Alex Korb (author of The Upward Spiral) you don’t even have to find something to be grateful for, the process of searching for it is sufficient! Take in a daily dose of gratitude and watch the inner shift take place. Here are a few suggestions of ways to practice gratitude:
Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily or weekly lists. Daily is better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way.
Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine.
Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation.
When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.
BREATHE. When we are stressed our breathing becomes shallower. Shallow breathing can raise carbon dioxide levels in our blood setting off a cascade of negative effects in our body such as elevated blood pressure. Try these exercises when you start to feel anxious, stressed out, disconnected or unfocused. First make sure you are breathing through your belly by placing one hand on your stomach just above your belt line and the other hand on your chest. Inhale slowly through your nose for 3 seconds. The hand on your stomach should rise while the hand on your chest stays relatively still. When you exhale your stomach should relax back into place.
Take a pause. Close your eyes, take a deep breath through your nose, hold it for a few moments and release your breath slowly through your mouth. Repeat a few times. Open your eyes and check in with how you are feeling.
Breathe with a mantra. Choose two calming words and focus on one during your inhale and one on your exhale. For example you can inhale peace and exhale love or inhale calm and exhale focus. You can do this for 1-5 minutes as you are sitting at your desk at work to regain focus, composure and energy.
Move your breath. There are lots of ways to move your breath with your imagination. For example, as you breathe in imagine you are moving your breath to the top of your head. As you breathe out imagine your breath moving down your spine to your sit bones. Each time your breathe in move your breath to the top of your head and each time you breathe out move it to the base of your spine. You can even imagine your breath as a light or liquid. Do this for a cycle of 10 breaths.
EXERCISE. At this point you may be thinking “but I thought she said “easy!” You don’t have to join an expensive gym or spend hours a day exercising…unless you want to! Dance with your kids in the living room. Go for a 30-minute walk every morning. Join a walking group! Connection with others also increases your resilience to stress. I used to work with a team that had a weekly walking meeting. They would walk and strategize for 30-40 minutes and they were incredibly productive. Research has shown that physical activity can improve your well-being and reduce risk of stress and depression. Regular exercise can increase the size of your hippocampus! Because chronic stress is linked to chronic disease you get a twofer on this one as physical activity also reduces risk of many chronic diseases. The key is to choose something you enjoy doing and get started. Exercise makes you feel good and the better you feel the more excited you are to exercise. I have seen many patients who did not have a regular exercise routine get into this positive feedback loop once they just got over the hump and started doing something – swimming, zumba, yoga, walking, cycling, whatever – regularly.
GET ACUPUNCTURE! Acupuncture is a powerful reset for your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system (that whole fight-or-flight response responsible for the release of cortisol and adrenaline). Acupuncture lowers levels of stress related cortisol by modifying the autonomic nervous system to reduce the release of cortisol during periods of prolonged stress. Most patients leave my clinic feels deeply relaxed. Over a course of treatments this deep relaxation extends into a shift in how the body actually responds to stress. Now that’s relief! Acupuncture also works to resolve stress related illnesses such as sleep disturbances, digestive upsets, anxiety, depression, weight gain, headaches and more. The first 4 actions will be easier to consistently implement as you feel better through acupuncture!
What would your life be like if you felt rested, calm, healthy and alive? If you are ready to take charge of your life and your health book a free consultation today!