Have you been caught up in the busyness cycle? Do you have a never-ending to-do-list? Keep on reading, this is for you.
We’ve become so addicted to busy lifestyles and are used to daily stress. We keep rushing around, think we always need to be doing something, feel guilty when we sit down, and have lost connection with ourselves.
Our phones are constantly pinging, we’re receiving notifications 24/7 and feel like we need to respond to it almost instantly. We’re living in reactive mode and are overstimulated.
Besides that, your boss wants you to finish that report, the kids need clean clothes for sports tomorrow, the dog needs to go to the vet, and you want to cook a healthy dinner for your family tonight.
We’re trying to be everything to everyone, and it’s extremely exhausting.
What effect does daily stress have on your body and health?
Okay, this is where it potentially gets boring, and your busy mind wanders off. Please keep reading, as it’s really important that you know this technical bit.
There’s lots happening in your body if you’re living in a state of daily stress. Two parts of the nervous system are very important when it comes to how you react to stress; the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). The SNS is responsible for your fight or flight response and the PNS for the calming aspect of our nervous system.
Daily Stress and Fight or Flight Mode
When you’re stressed, you’re in fight or flight mode. Your body is reacting in a way like it would when you’d be chased by a tiger. Your body doesn’t know the difference between a tiger chasing you, and to-do-list anxiety though. The major stress hormones are released into your system; adrenaline and cortisol. This raises your heart rate, makes you breathe faster, increases your blood pressure, and shuts down your digestive and reproductive systems.
During a fight or flight response, you will also release the glucose stored in your body so it can be used for fast-burning fuel. You need all the energy you can get, to run for this tiger. You’ll notice that you’ll also crave sugar when you’re stressed, as your body wants this instant fuel for energy. With all this glucose in your blood and no tiger to be seen, your body has to produce another hormone called insulin to move all the excess glucose out of your body. Like cortisol, insulin is a fat-storage hormone.
If your body is constantly getting stress signals for everyday issues, you create lots of wear and tear. You drain your body and burn out over time.
Interesting fact for the cardio junkies
When you’re in a calm state of mind and your PNS (rest, digest, repair, reproduce) is activated, you’re burning fat for fuel. When you’re SNS dominant, fat loss is very difficult, even when you’re doing bootcamp or another high-intensity workout. This workout can only lead to fat loss when the nervous system is balanced. On top of that, when you suffer from daily stress, you’re constantly releasing cortisol and insulin into your system, also known as the fat-storage hormones. When you’re suffering from daily stress, you’re better off doing calming exercises like yoga, tai chi, and qi gong.
Women and stress
Especially women spend a lot of time in a SNS state. The impact this has on your health and wellbeing is described in a great TEDx Talk by nutritional biochemist, dr Libby.
Daily stress is running your body down. If you feel overwhelmed, tired but wired, need coffee and sugar to get through your day, need alcohol to unwind, feel exhausted, can’t sleep, have a weakened immune system, have digestive problems, are impatient and irritable: it’s time to start listening to your body. It’s telling you to slow down.
What can you do to manage daily stress?
Now, you’re probably thinking: “Well that’s all very interesting, but how do I avoid all this daily stress?”. Unfortunately, avoiding stress is practically impossible in this day and age, but there are some things you can do to manage it:
1. Nutrition
When you’re stressed you usually can’t be bothered with cooking dinner. You’ll make poor food choices or start emotional eating. Hello chocolate! These food choices will put more stress on your body, and keep you in a vicious cycle. Choose whole, real foods that are nutritious. When your body is nourished, you’re better prepared to face your daily challenges.
Limit Alcohol
A lot of people who experience daily stress, will turn to alcohol to unwind. The problem with this is, that the alcohol itself can cause stress on the balance in our body and our mental state. It may provide some short-term relief, but in the long run it can actually compound the effects of stress.
Limit Coffee
Many people need coffee in the morning to wake up. Coffee triggers the same SNS response as stress, releasing the stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol. This makes your body believe you have to run from a tiger, and it’ll start using glucose as fast-burning fuel. Definitely not a good idea when you’re already dealing with daily stress. You need to get those hormones balanced.
2. Planning
Do you feel there’s never enough time in the day? Everyone gets 24 hours a day, and you choose how you spend them.
If you feel overwhelmed with your to-do-list, accept that you can’t do everything at once and prioritise and plan your tasks. Make a list of all the things you have to do, and write them down in order of priority. Bigger tasks should be broken into smaller more manageable tasks. Then get a weekly planner and fill it out on the same day every week.
To not overwhelm yourself again; only fill out two tasks per day. It’s very rewarding if you get them both done, and they can be ticked off. If you’ve finished your tasks before the day ends, just pick the next thing of the big to-do-list. If you weren’t able to finish your two daily tasks: it’s okay! Be gentle on yourself and try again tomorrow. Don’t beat yourself up. And don’t forget to include self-care in your planning.
Meal Planning
You’ll feel less overwhelmed when you’ve planned your meals for a whole week, and thinking about “what’s for dinner” doesn’t become a gigantic task. When you’re prepared, you won’t be opting for those less nutritious convenience foods.
You can read how to plan your meals, and get a free weekly meal planner in this blogpost.
3. Say no
One of the reasons we’ve got so much on our to-do-list is that we can’t say “no”. Learning how to say “no” is crucial to stay in control of your schedule and will help reduce your stress levels.
If you struggle with saying “no” to others, watch this MarieTV episode with some word for word scripts that will make you say no like a pro.
4. Perception of stress
Your thoughts directly relate to how stressed you feel. Stress is an unbalance in your thoughts. Try to reframe your thoughts and don’t sweat the small stuff. Just do the best you can, and be gentle with yourself. Remember: you don’t have to do anything, you choose to.
5. Exercise
Exercise produces chemicals in the brains called endorphins. These chemicals make you feel good and increase sleep quality, which in turn reduces stress. However, which exercise is suitable for you depends on your stress levels. When you’re feeling stressed a lot, you’re most likely SNS dominant. That means you’re better off doing weight training and restorative exercise like yoga, tai chi, or qi gong. This will support your health & wellbeing, instead of compromising it even more.
6. Sleep
Lack of sleep is a great contributor to stress. On the other end, stress also keeps us awake at night. Getting enough restorative sleep will help you greatly to manage your stress levels. Make sure you’re not making these mistakes that are wrecking your sleep..
7. Connection
Prioritise quality time with family and friends. Stress-induced emotions consume huge amounts of energy. Talking with a friend or family member or joining a club or support group can help to relieve stress. We are social animals after all. Stress can also cloud your judgment. Talking to someone can help you find solutions for your stress, and put your problems in perspective.
8. Breathe
Most of us hold our breath often or breathe too shallow. When you breathe like this, you’re sending a signal to your body that you’re in danger. Deep, slow, full breaths communicate to every cell in your body that you’re safe. Take 5 deep breaths now, and feel the difference in your stress levels. Meditation and mindfulness are great ways to focus on your breath and activate your PNS.
If you got to the end of this long blogpost; well done for making some time for yourself!
If you’re wondering how on earth you’re going to make time for these 8 tools, and get on top of your daily stress, remember this: if it’s important you’ll make time, otherwise you’ll make an excuse. Prioritise your health & wellbeing always.
You’ve got this!
