Each of your stress responses have a purpose – at least your body thinks so – and are beneficial to your overall wellbeing. However, if your body constantly moves back into a stress response, such as when you re-experience a childhood trauma, this pattern can keep you stuck and have a significant impact on your life in the present.

The best way to ‘outsmart’ yourself is to become aware. It’s not an easy task at all, but it’s one of the most effective ways to change the circumstances and direction of your life.

Returning to the green zone

The key to reducing long-term stress-related impacts on your health and wellbeing is to practise the Relaxation Response, which can be found when you are in your green zone. The term Relaxation Response was popularised by Dr Herbert Benson in 1975. In his book The Relaxation Response he describes the opposite of the Fight or Flight response and the way the body returns to baseline after a stressful event. Dr Benson describes the Relaxation Response as a physical state of deep relaxation, which engages the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS).

So, how can you return to the green zone?

• Sleep well and find a regular sleeping routine. According to Ayurveda, going to bed and waking up around the same time every day helps settle the mind. Create a night-time routine and take time to wind down and relax for an hour before you go bed. During that time avoid active and stimulating activities (TV, computers, smartphones, work) and opt for quiet and relaxing activities (meditation, gentle breathing exercises, etc.). Avoid drinking alcohol or caffeine before bed.
• Eat nourishing food in moderation and take time for yourself when you eat (e.g. avoid eating in front of the computer). As a golden rule, I nourish myself with one home-cooked meal a day. If I don’t have time for that, I know it’s time to reassess my routine and priorities.
• Get regular physical activity and engage in activities that reduce your chronic stress and ultimately help you feel relaxed, rested and happy. This could be yoga or meditation, but it could also be any other activity that you enjoy and find relaxing: walking, running, surfing, fishing, boating, painting, reading a book, listening to music, dancing, singing, etc. Aim to find active ways to manage your stress. Inactive ways to manage stress – such as watching television, surfing the internet or playing video games – may seem relaxing, but they may increase your stress long-term.
• Practise relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, acupuncture, tai chi or massage.
• Seek connection and spend time with family, friends or your community.
• Keep a sense of humour and give yourself permission to laugh. Laughter really is the best medicine – it decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies. Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals, and can therefore promote an overall sense of wellbeing.

It is important to find what works for you and then to do it consistently. Consistency may be more important than intensity. For example, going for a walk on a frequent and regular basis for reasonable amounts of time will almost certainly be better than jogging as fast as you can once every few weeks. Genuine support from friends and family, and having someone you can truly talk to, can also be an effective chronic stress buster.

Also, be mindful of your external environment and begin to make choices that support your wellbeing. Who are the people you spend time with? What are the conversations you engage in? How do you choose to fill your time? How does your work and the environment you work in make you feel?

 The Stress Management Planner can help you keep track of the stress factors in your life and how you tend to respond. It can also help you to choose tools and resources so you can manage your stress levels day-to-day more effectively. Good luck!

If you would like to learn more, join me for my next Body Soul Workshop | Release & Reset on Saturday, 11 May 2019 from 2:30-5:00pm. We will look at and release some of the patterns that stress can manifest in body and mind and reset both. This session will be of great benefit to anyone interested in learning more about how our mindset and patterns can keep us stuck and small.

For more details head here: http://www.qiyoga.net/events/body-soul-workshop-release-reset/.

Sometimes it seems stress is all everyone talks about. Plenty of us experience it as a normal part of life, but it can become a major problem when it starts to take over and rule certain parts of your life.

When that happens, it can truly become debilitating, affecting the way you experience or move through life. It might even be the root cause of an array of symptoms you can be experiencing, ranging from physical to emotional.

The severity and longevity of stress you experience can range from something as simple as being frustrated with peak-hour traffic or being late to an appointment through to losing a job or experiencing separation or divorce. All of us have experienced it in one form or other and all of us know it can be a daunting experience.

How do we avoid stress without avoiding meaning, growth, purpose and development? There are a number of coping mechanisms that together, not in isolation, can work as effective strategies in response to stress. Surprisingly, one of them is to befriend your stress.

Make stress your friend

In her Ted Talk, health psychologist Kelly McGonigal shares a fascinating idea: that the harmful effects of stress may be a consequence of our perception that it is bad for our health.

“Can changing how you think about stress make you healthier? Here the science says ‘yes’,” says McGonigal. “Your heart might be pounding, you may be breathing faster… but what if you viewed them as signs that your body was energised and it’s preparing you to meet this challenge.”

Understanding this was a game-changer for me. I recognised that when my body is under stress and presenting me with severe stress responses, that those responses weren’t the enemy – they were my friend. I became aware that my body adopted them to support me through the challenges before me and ensure I’m equipped with what I need to meet and overcome those challenges.

With that knowledge I was able to change the way I responded to stress. Instead of resenting or trying to stop the stress responses within my body, I began to acknowledge and appreciate them.

If you would like to learn more about the tools to effectively manage stress and its impact on your life, join me this Saturday for my Body Soul Workshop at Qi Yoga in Freshwater.