Reducing stress – 3 easy steps

Stress gets a bad rap, and for good reason.  I’m not talking about the stress that shows itself when you are potentially in harm’s way – the good old fight or flight stress response that can be responsible for allowing your reaction time to improve and has your foot slamming on the brake quickly so you avoid an accident.  Or the stress that keeps you motivated and focused on getting that work done in time for the very important presentation.  Once the moment has passed, your body recovers.

No, I’m talking about longer term stress that has a significant detrimental impact on your health.  Our bodies are designed to cope with short sharp bursts of stress but the ongoing, chronic forms of stress can cause real problems for you by suppressing your immune system, interrupting your sleep patterns, increasing the risk or incidence of depression or anxiety, causing chest pain and increasing your blood pressure, bringing on headaches, impacting your libido, causing you to feel overwhelmed and reduce your ability to cope with smaller challenges…..  The list is long and harmful and it gets worse the longer it goes on. 

At this point in history, there is a lot going on in our world that is above and beyond the usual stress triggers for many of us with a pandemic, war, extreme weather patterns – all things none of us can control but may still impact how we feel.  Combine these with our own personal worries or struggles and it might seem that stress will win the day. But there are ways to take back control, manage your stress and feel so much better! 

One way to increase your stress is to read a list that overwhelms you with all the ways you can get the zen back into your life.  I’m going to keep the suggestions to three tips that are short and sweet and attainable so you can get some easy wins on the board and take back some control of your life and feel better.

1.       Exercise

As a personal trainer, you know I am going to highlight exercise as a way to manage your stress, but the science supports me on this one!  Those clever dudes in lab coats have proven that our endorphin friends, or happy hormones, are released when we get physical.  These hormones make us feel good and they also help improve the ability to sleep which in turn, reduces stress. 

You don’t need to be running marathons to receive the benefits of endorphins but you do need to get moving.  So, pop the runners on and go for a walk, take a swim or give me a call and get yourself into some classes and start feeling calmer and more in control of your life.

2.       Put the technology away

You will have heard this before but once more, the science boffins have proven that social media and being constantly online increases our feelings of isolation, inadequacy, and the old fear of missing out (FOMO).  All of this feeds into our stress levels.  Who cares what someone that you went to school with 30 years ago is doing now?  Spend your time reading, relaxing, connecting with people who are in your life now or get those tasks done that have been hanging about for ages and are causing you stress.  See where I am going with this – social media has its place but put some limits on it and get involved in your life and you will reap the joyful benefits.

3.       Meditation

Meditation can be a tough one for many of us.  Sitting still and being right in the moment is hard with all the distractions that life throws at us, but it can be a really powerful yet simple way of managing stress.   There are plenty of ways to get some peaceful contemplation into your life that will have you coping more effectively with stress. 

Pilates, tai chi and deep breathing exercises are all amazing options but today I am going to give you an easy to access and free option to try.  Smiling Mind has a free app that you can download onto your phone enabling you to tap into a daily meditation whether you are at home or on the train to work.  Click here to download and have a go.  Really, you’ve got nothing to lose and plenty to gain.

So that’s it folks, my top 3 tips for reducing stress and getting some calm back in your life.  Of course, there are loads of other things you can do but let’s not overwhelm ourselves by trying to do too much.  Simple, easy adjustments to our current lifestyles will allow us to cope and maybe enable us to add more stress management strategies down the track.