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Everyone experiences stress. It’s actually needed to keep us alive and safe! It’s just a normal part of life but what is not normal is chronic or prolonged stress. When stressed, our bodies immediately go into flight or fight mode. Our bodies have designed this to keep us safe but it was not designed to last long. Since people are now facing chronic stress, our bodies are starting to feel the effects of it with some pretty concerning symptoms.

This year has brought a lot of stress. From covid-19 to quarantine to working from home to balancing all the new things. I knew I had to do something to help my stress or I could be facing some serious health issues. I am someone who uses stress as something to push me along and as a result I create more stress for myself. It’s a pretty toxic cycle and one that I am trying to break. So I have done some research on stress and found some ways that work for me to de-stress!

What Is It?

Stress technically occurs when our body releases the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. When these hormones are released, our bodies start to heighten and and prep for danger. Certain parts of our body will get a rush of blood and oxygen in case it needs it. Our muscles will tighten to prevent injury. And our livers will start to produce glucose for added energy. This sounds great if our bodies are in real danger, but sometimes these actions take place outside of a dangerous setting. For example, about turning in a report on time or how we are going to pay the bills on time. When we stay in this heightened state, many issues can arise in our body. Some of these issues include:

• Heart Burn
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Headaches
• Trouble Sleeping
• Rapid Heartbeat
• High Blood Sugar
• High Blood Pressure
• Risk of Heat Attack
• Risk of Diabetes
• Low Sex Drive
• Muscle Tensing
• Fertility Issues
• Lower Immune System

Ways to De-Stress

Our bodies were not made to stay at a heightened stress state for too long. This means it is our responsibility to manage our stress and find ways to de-stress. This will look different for everyone! Ways that I have found that help me de-stress include:

• Go for a walk/hike
• Physical activity (workout)
• Get in nature
• Take a nap
• Take a bath (check out my favorite detox bath here!)
• Music
• Journal
• Watch something funny – movie, show, youtube
• Take a drive
• Make a hot drink – tea, latte, hot chocolate
• Getting out of the house
• Going to lunch with a friend
• Asking my husband to watch the kids for some time to myself
• Doing something I have been putting off
  • Knocking something out of the way
  • Hobby I have been wanting to try
• Yoga
• Organize something
• Plan
• Remembering my why

This list could go on and on. The point is to find something that you love to do and brings you joy. When you feel stress start to settle into your life, pull out your list of things you love and do one!

Things To Avoid

While the list above are things that can be easily done when stressed, I have also came up with a list of things I avoid like the plague when I am stressed. These things include:

• Alcohol
• Too much caffeine
• Having a serious conversation – take time to destress first!
• Sad movies, shows, or music
• Sad anything
• Angry anything
• Social media
• Negative self talk

These are my list of things I avoid when stressed, your list might look a little bit different. For myself personally, when I am stressed these things just make everything worst for me and can sometimes cause me to fall into a depression if I am not careful. Especially things like sad music or movies.

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I hope these ideas help you! Drop your favorite ways to reduce stress in the comments!