How to overcome stress?

What is Stress?

Stress is how we cope with what goes on around us. In other words, stress is not directly caused by our surroundings, job conflicts or arguments with our loved ones, but by the thoughts and stories we create about these circumstances, which may lead to emotional imbalance, shallow breathing, adrenaline spikes, a racing heartbeat, and other worry-related symptoms. This is because everyone’s life experiences are unique, leading to different reactions in various situations. As a result, if you have faced multiple traumatic experiences without the chance to fully recover, you are more vulnerable to be affected by upcoming stressful events.

Medical experts state that when the body is stressed, it produces three hormones: adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine. Each hormone is released quickly, and its clearance from the body varies based on your genetics, environment, and health. The consequences of chronic stress include migraines, anxiety, accelerated aging, heart disease, binge eating, depression, and digestive disorders that affect your overall well-being.

Luckily, learning to handle stress effectively is a skill that everyone can cultivate with practice and mindfulness. Why not start now to clear up your worries?

Commence with embracing the idea of mild stress rather than dreading it. This helps adjust your perspective instead of focusing solely on the thoughts, situation, or external environment.

What to do with Stress?

Practice cultivating a greater presence in your innate state of well-being and self-acceptance (Meditation and Yin Yoga are great practices for this). Similar to a mountaineer who views each peak as a thrilling journey, an opportunity to explore and fully immerse in the present moment without judging the terrain. Eventually, you progress towards accepting your difficulties with mindfulness, refreshed strength, and compassion.

Tips to Overcome Stress

1. BREATHE

You probably don’t often notice your breath, do you? Focused deep breathing signals your nervous system to calm down, increasing your attention span and keeping stress levels and anxiety at bay. Deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the 'rest and digest' response. This helps to counteract the 'fight or flight' response triggered by stress.

Techniques for Breathing to Reduce Stress

• Diaphragmatic Breathing: Also known as belly breathing, this technique involves breathing deeply into the diaphragm, rather than shallowly into the chest.

  How to do it: Sit or lie down comfortably. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Breathe in deeply through your nose, ensuring your abdomen rises more than your chest. Exhale slowly through your mouth.

• 4-7-8 Breathing: This method helps to quickly calm the nervous system.

  How to do it: Inhale quietly through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale completely through your mouth for 8 seconds.

• Box Breathing: Also known as four-square breathing, it involves breathing in a rhythmic pattern.

  How to do it: Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds, and pause for 4 seconds before the next inhale.

• Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana): A yogic practice that balances the mind and body.

  How to do it: Sit comfortably, close your right nostril with your thumb, inhale deeply through the left nostril. Close the left nostril with your ring finger, open the right nostril and exhale through it. Inhale through the right nostril, close it, and exhale through the left nostril. Repeat.

• Progressive Relaxation Breathing: Combines deep breathing with progressive muscle relaxation.

  How to do it: While lying down, focus on tensing and then relaxing each muscle group in your body, starting from your toes and moving upwards, while maintaining deep, slow breaths.

Wanna practice together? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

2. MEDITATE

As a brain health exercise, meditation encourages a deeper understanding of oneself, leading to a sense of inner peace and self-acceptance. Besides that, regular meditations decrease the levels of stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine) responsible for 'fight or flight' response. Additional perks involve reduced blood pressure and improved memory function.

If you're just starting with daily meditation, commence with 5 minutes or less and gradually extend the time.

Meditation Techniques for Stress Relief

• Mindfulness Meditation

  • Focus: Pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment.

  • Practice: Sit quietly and focus on your breathing, noticing when your mind wanders and gently bringing it back to the breath.

• Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta)

  • Focus: Cultivate feelings of love and compassion towards yourself and others.

  • Practice: Repeat phrases like “May I be happy, may I be healthy” and extend these wishes to others.

• Body Scan Meditation

  • Focus: Increase awareness of bodily sensations and reduce physical tension.

  • Practice: Slowly scan your body from head to toe, noticing and relaxing each part.

• Transcendental Meditation

  • Focus: Use a specific mantra to settle the mind into a state of restful alertness.

  • Practice: Repeat the mantra silently to yourself for 15-20 minutes, twice a day.

• Breathing Meditation

  • Focus: Concentrate on your breathing to calm the mind.

  • Practice: Sit quietly, close your eyes, and focus on the sensation of your breath entering and leaving your nostrils or the rise and fall of your chest.

If you prefer to meditate together, contact me.

3. DO WHAT YOU LOVE

Find some time for doing what you love and what your heart is longing for (create, dance, bake, write, sing, play, garden etc). Begin creating your wish list and start bringing it to fruition as a part of your daily self-care routine. This will help you cultivate the attitude of gratitude and satisfaction.

4. MOVE

Regular physical activity (like jogging, Vinyasa yoga, Hatha yoga, Aerial yoga, sport, etc) is a highly effective stress reducer and mood booster. Perceive your workouts as a fun and enjoyable activity rather than a task. Experiment with what works best for you to enhance your endorphin release and catch your natural high.

5. CONNECT

Loving relationship, supportive people and laughter strengthen your sense of belonging, increase your self-confidence and makes you happier. Do not be afraid to share your feelings, thoughts and emotions with others. More you give, more you get.

Finally, live mindfully and follow your bliss! Life is meant to be lived joyfully in love vibrations.