Stress is an ongoing battle in this day and age. Physical and emotional stress are hard to avoid, but learning how to manage your stress can do wonders for body and mind.
Cortisol is the biggest stress hormone in the human body. Increased levels that remain chronically high are responsible for a number of negative physiological changes.
According to www.verywellmind.com/cortisol-and-stress-how-to-stay-healthy-3145080 chronically high levels of cortisol are responsible for:
- Impaired cognitive performance
- Suppressed thyroid function
- Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
- Decreased bone density
- Decrease in muscle tissue
- Higher blood pressure
- Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
- Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, developing metabolic syndrome, higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems.
I admit there are times when I manage my stress better than others. For instance, this summer, my yoga practice fell to the wayside and I felt the negative backlash in both body (tightness) and mind (lack of clarity).
In general, below are the top ten things I use to manage my stress/avoid high cortisol levels:
- Exercise- at least 5x/week
- Eat well- I try to avoid dairy and gluten, limit caffeine and alcohol, and increase fruit and vegetable intake
- Sleep- 7-8 hours/night (preferably beginning at 10pm)
- Write- In the past I have journaled. Now just writing down a list of everything running through my mind to help me turn it off
- Meditate- though I go in and out of having a “regular” meditation practice, yoga is a mindful movement meditation for me and helps calm my mind
- Spend time outdoors- preferably at the beach this time of year!
- Organize- I have always found organizing a closet or a drawer to be very calming. Cleaning, not so much. But organizing, every time.
- Bodywork: Chiropractic Adjustments, Acupuncture and Massage (among others) have been shown to calm the nervous system and always decrease stress for me
- Listen to music- anyone who knows me knows there is a rarely time Pandora is not playing
- Pray- I do it every night before bed to express gratitude and recenter myself
I know many people who paint, clean, read, hike and/or garden to manage stress. How about you? What do you do?