When it comes to stress, I feel that sometimes we don't even realise that things are "stressful" anymore - it seems that being stressed is the new norm! Our tolerance is higher these days, we do so much and allow ourselves to be overrun by "the things", without actually taking the time to just BE.
Stress and the body
We all know that stress is not great for the body, but why? I like to put it simply. Stress causes dis-ease. Every process in the body requires the right hormones to signal the right actions for us to function - side note, it's a pretty amazing piece of technology! - The stress hormones, cortisol and adrenalin, the ones that cause our heart rate to go up, our blood to go from the core to the extremities, our eyes to dilate, our breathing to be shallow and fast, are there for a very good reason - so we can be prepared to either fight off something, run like mad or to hide and freeze until we are safe. Back in the day of significant external predators or dangers where we could do these things, let's say a sabre-tooth tiger or bear or other tribe, this was an incredibly helpful and vital part of our survival. And, just like a deer or zebra would today, after the incident, we would calm down and our hormones for digestion, sleep, creativity, etc would settle back to their normal levels. We would be in homeostasis once again.
You see, no living creature is designed to withstand the hormones of stress for long periods of time. Yet, in our society today, we are being more and more overwhelmed by things and situations that cause our stress hormones to switch on, and stay on. It is this over exposure to cortisol and adrenalin that puts us at dis-ease - our immune hormones are lowered, we can have digestive problems, headaches, heart problems, disrupted sleep, anxiety and depression and memory problems.
What are the causes of YOUR stress hormones to be elevated?
More and More and More - Which ones below would you agree with that cause you stress?
Money, work, bills, rising living expenses
Family and relationships
The pressure of parenthood combined with working combined with keeping a marriage together
Advertising - companies put a lot of money into making people feel that they are never enough and that their product will fix all of their problems
Social media - distracted by notifications, constantly being seen, the lust for likes and followers
The news - how may positive stories did you hear today?
Traffic - where have you been and where do you need to go on a time limit?
Stuff - clutter and untidiness has been proven to increase stress
Time - do you often feel you do not have enough time in the day?
The current climate change and planetary worries - do you think about the future like this?
Can you allow joy and love to be your new norm?
I'm going to keep this pretty simple and you may not like it - if you are triggered by this, then can I dare say you need it most of all?
YOU CAN CHOOSE LOVE AND JOY INSTEAD
Of course we all react to things, we all feel the feelings of our stress hormones. Triggered by the annoying colleague, the erratic driver, the grumpy child, the tired partner or the mountain of work to do - but it is actually our choice on how we ACT on these. We have the power to tell our brains which way we want our bodies to feel. We can actually stop the cycle of stress. Not by changing or swapping our thoughts, but just by adding new ones in and focussing on those instead. It is not your mother-in-laws problem that she offended you when she said that or your sister's problem that you feel like you got left with all the Christmas prep or your husbands problem that you feel unappreciated - it is YOUR problem. And only you can decide to feel better about it. You can't change people, only how you feel about them. I always say, forgiveness is a gift to you, not the other person.
3 things to Start doing to lower your stress levels
Observe yourself - be witness to how you actually react to things. This skill in itself is so powerful and it soon becomes a bit funny or entertaining to see yourself in different ways. It's very empowering to be able to say "oh wow, that really affected me. I'm feeling very frustrated at that person". And then you become AWARE of how long you are sitting in that frustration, how it can affect other parts of your day. And soon, you can't be bothered feeling like that anymore and you decide to LET IT GO.
Take time out to be present - one of the quickest ways to get back to the present moment is to breathe. Some pople love yoga, meditation, exercising but 3 deep breaths with an intention of love is one of the nicest, gentlest things you can do to your body to break the cycle of stress. For example, you are feeling overwhelmed with all of the things you have to do, stop, close your eyes, take 3 deep breaths and say to yourself "I have plenty of time, I am a productive person and I love living a full life".
Use essential oils (of course!) - the best essential oils I use to lower my stress levels include Lavender, Clary Sage, Balance, Wild Orange and Peppermint. These oils all contain aromatic compounds that help our body release calming or uplifting hormones in the body in their various ways. Sometimes I diffuse them, sometimes I apply the oils to the bottoms of my feet, sometimes I pop a drop in my hands rub them together and take my 3 breaths like that. Whatever the application or use, the process is my little mindful ritual that I have up my sleeve when I need it. And I love that.
Hold your own Essential Oils and Stress Workshop
Allow me to present to you and your friends/colleagues/loved ones about HOW to do this. I'll bring my box of oils and we can all make up a little "stress blend" to use when we want to do our 3 breaths. Contact me here: www.facebook.com/nurtureyourtribe
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