In the face of life’s constant challenges, stress has become an unwelcome companion for many, impacting health and well-being in our daily lives. In many ways, our bodies and minds react as if we were running from a lion.

Medical research indicates that 90% of illness and diseases is related to stress, according to the NASD; stress interferes with our bodies and can cause high blood pressure, heart disease and more.
According to PubMed (Oct 2008), research shows that every single system in our bodys can be influenced by chronic stress.

“Stress is the common risk factor of 75%-90% (of) diseases, including the diseases which cause the foremost morbidity and mortality,” The Common Pathways of Stress-Related Diseases, PubMed June 2017.

Stress can manifest in our daily lives, even when we’re not consciously aware of it. From physical symptoms, like headaches, fatigue and digestive issues, to cognitive, emotional and behavioral patterns, stress responses can go unrecognized. Stress can also be the cause of sleep disturbances, and even put strain on our relationships with friends and loved ones, causing conflict or communication breakdowns.
Because of this, it’s essential to develop awareness of our stressors and implement healthy coping strategies to manage stress effectively.

We mostly talk about the negative but there can also be positive. Just like working a muscle a little at a time to make that muscle stronger.

But what happens when you work that muscle too hard, too fast? The muscle is injured and has to repair itself before it can even be used. So too with stress. Our bodies are designed to handle short times of stress, even extreme stress. That is how we survive the lions of life that are chasing us! But when we stay in a constant state of this extreme stress it is harmful, and can even be deadly.

It’s not about what is going on in your life that determines how you handle stress. We can’t always change our life circumstances, at least not quickly. But we can change how we respond to stress.
There are two nervous system modes: The sympathetic and the parasympathetic.

If you feel like you’re running from a lion, then you’re in sympathetic mode, commonly known as fight or flight. Designed for short-term survival, your body will have increased focus and alertness and increased cortisol to prepare the body for emergency activity.

Then you have the parasympathetic mode. This is the rest and digest mode. You have relaxed external muscles, increased digestive activities to store energy for future use and good immune function. We are designed to primarily live in this state.

But what happens when we are primarily in a sympathetic, or stressed, state? Well, we have digestive issues, low libido, higher cortisol, which makes us gain weight and, over time, can exhaust our adrenals making us feel tired and unwell.

So how do we take charge of our stress? How can we live the life we live, stress and all, and still be healthy and vibrant?

Although there are situations where we need to change our circumstances; maybe change jobs, eliminate debt, get to bed earlier, spend more time with friends who lift us up rather than tear us down… but most of the stress is about how we perceive it; about our mindset; about what we are communicating to our body about that stress.

Here’s the key: If you communicate to your body that you are not actually running from a lion, then it will respond in a parasympathetic mode. And, surprisingly… it’s actually not that hard. Below are some ways to practice destressing.

7 Ways to Rapidly Destress

• 1) Box breathing. Stop and slowly take a deep breath to the count of 5, hold for 5 counts, slowly let out the breath for 5 counts, hold for 5 counts again. Repeat.
• 2) Stop ruminating. Work on catching yourself in negative thoughts and negative talk. Learn to take control by replacing that thought with something positive.
• 3) Reframe. This is where you look at a situation and then look at it again in a different way.
• 4) Gratitude Journaling. Write down two or three things a day you are grateful for.
• 5) Epsom salts bath. Pour ¼ cup of epsom salt into your bathwater and relax.
• 6) Rest. It is vitally important to make time to rest. Even if it is just a few minutes at the end of your day.
• 7) Joy. It is also vitally important to have joy in your life.

Dawn Mills

Dawn is an AFMC (Applied Functional Medicine Certified) Practitioner (https://afmccertification.com/)

She resides in Virginia and enjoys spending time with her 4 grown children and 13 grandchildren. Personal health challenges started her on a journey that led her to this field of study and ultimately coaching other people in addressing their own health challenges.  She applies the principles of Functional Medicine, finding the root cause of a disease dynamic, to her coaching, educating her clients and helping them make the lifestyle changes necessary for  addressing issues such as autoimmune disease, insulin resistance, hormone imbalance, gut health, and infertility. 

Dawn provides one-on-one coaching, coaching groups and classes.

Feel free to reach out with questions –  [email protected]