Hypnotherapy & Stress-Management
My top Tips for Stress Management
What Is Stress Exactly?
Before we dive into the tips, I’m here to tell you that stress is a normal, healthy response to a stressor. It is how we have survived and evolved to lead our interesting and fulfilling modern lives.
(A stressor is something normally an external stimulus that triggers our nervous system to respond and react with strain or tension. A stress response can be acute or chronic.)
Acute stress can actually be really helpful and can save your life by putting you on high alert for threats or danger. For example if you were crossing a road and a car came out of nowhere, hurtling towards you at speed, that acute stressor would lead to a quick release of the main stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol.
When these stress hormones are released the body responds and leads to the classic stress signs of your pupils dilating, your focus narrowed, the blood would be directed to your arms and legs to be able to run and your heart rate would increase so your mind and body can react quickly.
These are all signs of a stress response and hopefully would mean you could quickly cross the road or shout for attention!
We all need a bit of stress to get us out of bed and to achieve our goals in life. It activates us and our nervous system.
Everyone reacts differently to situations because of their perceptions to it, rather than the situation itself.
There are two schemas or sets of beliefs that are in play. Firstly, our threat schema. If we feel that we are about to become more vulnerable or in danger, our inbuilt and autonomic nervous system will be activated. This perception is more likely to be triggered if we have experienced a high level of trauma or adverse events in our lives that has put us on high alert.
Secondly, our coping schema. If we feel like we can’t cope with the danger and our safety mechanisms feel inadequate. Like a see-saw, if the situation feels overwhelming and we can’t cope, stress is likely to be high. Perhaps you have a lot of stressful events going on at once, your bucket is full and you might feel like this one situation has tipped you over the edge.Our capacity for stress changes throughout our lives depending on what we have happening.
By the way, all of these decisions and perceptions happen on a subconscious, autonomic level over microseconds and are often the result of our previous life experiences.
Chronic stress is much less helpful. If we experience stress responses over a long period of time, then we are likely to have many stress-related issues as our bodies handle an increase in adrenaline and cortisol over time.
Our bodies have not evolved to have high levels of stress hormones for long periods of time and so can create physiological and psychological issues.
How Do I Know If I’m Experiencing Stress or If I Have A Stress-Related Issue?
There are many signs and symptoms of chronic stress (and you will have an individual response to stress!) but most commonly people who feel stressed have issues such as:
Weight increase, changed eating habits and more comfort eating
Disrupted sleep and insomnia
Headaches
Difficulty focusing or concentrating
Fatigue
Clenched jaw and teeth grinding
Colds and flu more often than normal
Aches and pains in the neck, back and shoulders due to tension
Increased alcohol, caffeine or other drug intake
Trouble with digestion or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Always be curious if you notice any disruptions or changes to habits. It is important to check in with your Doctor or GP to ensure there are no underlying physical health issues that could be the cause of your symptoms.
What’s The Difference Between Stress and Anxiety?
Stress is the physical response to a set of conditions or situations that we perceive to be threatening or unmanageable, whereas anxiety is a mental preoccupation with the future that can result in feeling stressed.
6 Steps to Manage Stress in Your Life
Here are my top 6 tips for managing stress and any stress-related issues you have going on:
1 - Become aware of what stress looks like for you.
What physical symptoms are you experiencing? What would the people around you say about your interactions? Do you struggle to be at rest and relaxed most of the time?
2 - Notice the situations where you feel more stress.
Is there a pattern or particular time of day that you feel more stressed? Make a note of when and where you feel stress with a diary.
3 - Cut back on the caffeine, tobacco and alcohol.
In the moment it can feel like a great way to wake up or take the edge off the stress but in the long term can aggravate issues such as digestion and sleep.
4 - Remember that as you have a stress response you also have a relaxation response.
Learn some basic relaxation techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing, a mindful meditation or a form of physical relaxation exercise and practice regularly. Make it a daily habit to start your day.
5 - Rest when you need to.
It is extremely important to factor in rest days off work or study so that you can be a creative, dynamic person. Many of the most successful leaders of our time prioritise meditation and relaxation into their working schedule. Ariana Huffington spends 30 minutes a day to meditate as it has been so helpful for her.
6 - Understand what your stress response is trying to tell you.
Do you struggle to communicate your needs effectively? Do you need to outsource some tasks to free your time up? Explore what you can do to make life as easeful and free as possible.
You can gain control over the way you react to situations with support. You are allowed to lead a full, creative and driven life and have a sense of joy and ease through it.
If you want to chat about overcoming stress in your life, book a free initial consultation call with me today here.
Rachel x