Let's talk about stress....

I was struck this week when I student of mine reminded me about how she couldn't not remember anything from our lecture last week, and how nervous she had been about a biology exam she had. She did well on the exam, but remembers her week as a whirl. It got me thinking about the relationship between our brains, bodies, and stress. 

It is a scientific fact that stress kills our brains. Stress causes our learning capabilities decrease, our regulation skills are more difficult for us to access, and our overall ability to actively process and interact within our environment diminishes. One study by the Mayo Clinic found that adults chronically reporting high levels of workplace stress report similar symptoms to individuals suffering from the following ailments: chronic fatigue, PTSD, strokes, digestive issues, macular deterioration, migraines, and slowed reflexes. This is in addition to the linkages between chronic stress and autoimmune diseases. 

We strive to live lives filled with wellness, health, balance, and inner peace, but without adequately meeting our stress management and reduction needs, we risk symptom plateaus or increases, and less overall life satisfaction. We need to stop viewing stress management as a "luxury" or buzzword thrown around by professionals, and start taking seriously the immense benefits that releasing stress from our minds, bodies, and spirits will have on our lives. 

This means incorporating proactively planned daily and weekly stress reduction activities in your schedule, and having an "in the moment" toolbox for those moments of increased stress to alleviate symptoms. These include the following evidence-based stress management strategies, to name a few.

Regular exercise

Yoga and bodywork classes

Water-based exercise

Massage therapy

Acupuncture and acupressure

Meditation practice

Reflexology

Counseling/therapy

Journaling

Artistic expression activities

Reading and Writing

Dancing

Volunteering

Sensory-based activities 

In addition, the following are helpful stress management tools to keep for in the moment resources:

Gum, the chewing motion is a natural stress reliever

Relaxation sounds or music

Soft fabrics to hold or rub

Stress balls

notecards with stretching poses on them

breathing prompts. I likes the following ones. http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00521/three-breathing-exercises.html

Now take some time this weekend to help design your stress reduction wellness plan!

#enlightenyourself